The 27-year-old, who was paired with Di Prima, had an appearance on the show the previous year.
McDermott wrote in a social media message that she had always wanted to be on Strictly Come Dancing and that while the majority of her experience was “amazing,” “inside the training room was very different.”
The celebrity claimed that watching footage of “specific incidents” had been “incredibly distressing,” and she added that she had been “afraid” of a possible retaliation from the public for coming out.
“I thought it was appropriate to share something about the recent media coverage,” she stated in an Instagram message to her two million followers.
After becoming well-known from her time on Love Island, McDermott went on to become a media personality and documentary presenter. She called Strictly “one of the most magical shows on TV” and claimed that being chosen to participate was “a childhood dream come true.”.
