08 January 2024 , 15:53
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Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice is reportedly being supported by bosses of the BBC show amid "deeply offensive" allegations made against him by his celebrity dance partner, Amanda Abbington.
On Sunday it was claimed 51-year old Amanda has demanded footage of her rehearsals with the Italian from the Beeb after seeking legal advice. The 2023 Strictly series was blighted by rumours of a feud between the pair, with actress Amanda calling it quits five weeks into the competition citing personal reasons.
She fuelled speculation further last month by failing to show for the series' final alongside her fellow contestants who had been given the boot. Since then, Amanda has revealed she is suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and is now said to be keen to review recordings having struggled with Giovanni's "aggressive training style and attitude" and "militant approach".
Amanda was reportedly affected by Giovanni's 'militant' training methodsFollowing complaints from previous stars, it was claimed the BBC had a meeting with Giovanni, 33, about his conduct last year but no action was taken against him. An insider told the Sun: "Some of the professionals and crew feel it needs to be dealt with and Giovanni shouldn’t come back this year. The BBC are standing behind Giovanni and won’t be pursuing an investigation. It’s a shock to some on the show who think something needs to be done about his behaviour."
And after the dancer was spotted looking downbeat as he took a stroll on Monday holding a cigarette, a source close to him has revealed Giovanni's thoughts on the saga. "Gio finds some of these allegations deeply unfair and offensive," the source explained to the Sun. He has had support from producers over what has happened recently and they are behind him.
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"A lot of the negativity seems to be born out of professional jealousy, especially among the other pro dancers because he went on to get his own TV show with Anton Du Beke. Gio believes he’s done nothing wrong, and simply wants to get the best out of his partners."
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Following her shock departure in October Amanda took to social media to explain that she had to withdraw - but didn’t explicitly say why. She wrote soon after her exit on Instagram: "It is with deepest regret that I had to leave Strictly. I did not come to this decision easily or lightly but for personal reasons I am unable to continue.
"It was an absolute joy working with my fellow contestants, they are a beautiful, hardworking and talented group of people who I love and who I will miss seeing every Friday and Saturday and competing alongside. I want to thank the incredible Production team and everyone on Strictly who looked after me and who are so kind and caring. It’s a wonderful bunch of people and I’ll miss all of them."
She added: "I’m so sad that I am unable to go any further. Thank you to everyone who voted and who sent wonderful messages and inspiring support. You are all amazing. Truly. Thank you."