Giovanni Pernice gushes he’s ‘happy and ready to have fun’ as he kickstarts rehearsals with his stunning celebrity partner for Italian version of Strictly – hours before the UK show’s launch
Giovanni Pernice had a blast on Saturday as he posed for playful snaps with his dance partner after rehearsals for the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing began.
It was recently revealed that the 34-year-old Italian professional dancer had signed up to Ballando con le Stelle after leaving the British show amid allegations of bullying by her former dance partner Amanda Abbington.
Although the BBC has yet to release the results of its investigation into the actress’s claims, Giovanni has continued with his career and appeared on the Italian dance show alongside the wife of disgraced ex-Strictly star Graziano Di Prima.
Giovanni posted funny photos on Instagram with 43-year-old Italian actress and singer Bianca Guaccero over the weekend, just hours before the big launch of the British show.
Giovanni looked casual in a black T-shirt, while Bianca wore a purple cardigan for the photos. The two showed off their bond by posing close together.
Giovanni Pernice had a big smile on his face on Saturday as he posed for playful snaps with his dance partner after starting rehearsals for the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing
It was recently revealed that the Italian dancer had signed up to Ballando con le Stelle after leaving the UK show amid allegations of bullying by his former dance partner Amanda Abbington.
The duo captioned the post: ‘Sweaty but… happy, full of energy, willing to do their best and ready to let you have fun and dream!
‘September 28 is approaching. Are you prepared to support us?’
In the comments, many fans said they will support the couple, with some even saying they will ‘miss’ him in the British version.
Strictly’s 20th anniversary series has been somewhat tainted after the BBC programme became embroiled in scandal amid a year of controversy.
It all started in October last year, when actress Amanda Abbington unexpectedly quit the show after alleging that her partner Giovanni Pernice was abusive.
The Sherlock actress has made a series of allegations about Giovanni’s teaching methods, describing his behaviour as ‘unnecessary, insulting, cruel and mean’. He has strongly denied all the allegations.
Giovanni, 33, has been suspended while the BBC investigates allegations made by Amanda and two other former celebrities.
He has strongly denied the allegations.
But while the BBC has yet to release the results of its investigation into the actress’s claims, Giovanni has continued his career and appeared on the Italian dance show
Giovanni took to Instagram over the weekend to share some fun photos with Italian actress and singer Bianca Guaccero, 43 – just hours before the big launch of the UK show
Giovanni looked casual in a black T-shirt, while Bianca wore a purple cardigan for the photos – with the pair showing off their bond by posing close together
The duo captioned the post: ‘Sweaty but… happy, full of energy, willing to do their best and ready to let you have fun and dream!’
With the report into his misconduct due to be released any day now, Amanda is reportedly deeply disappointed with BBC bosses who fear they are ‘protecting’ the dancer during the bullying investigation.
High-level meetings have been held between BBC bosses to work out how to present their findings, with fears of legal action from Amanda or Giovanni if either of them is disappointed with the outcome.
After Giovanni, the show was hit by another scandal when Graziano Di Prima was fired in July for ‘kicking’ his partner, Love Island star Zara McDermott.
Zara explained that she did not report the incidents at the time because she was “afraid” of negative reactions.
IInstead, it was the junior production staff who came forward to share what they had seen while researching professional dancers Jan took place.
In an interview, Amanda compared the dance show to “the trenches” and told Channel 4 News that BBC producers were “appalled” by clips that allegedly included “degrading sexual behaviour”.
In another interview with Christine Lampard about Lorraine, she said: ‘It was inappropriate, mean, unkind, bullying and I put up with it for five, six weeks.
‘It started very early and when it started I shut down because I recognized the warning signs.
‘And then I would shut down and it would be hard to get in. And that would be a self-fulfilling prophecy.’
Of her schedule for the show, she said, “I went to the rehearsal space every day. I’ve been in rehearsal spaces for 32 years.
‘I know what rehearsal spaces should look like.
“No matter what your background is – whether it’s dancing, acting or singing – you have an obligation to bring compassion, understanding, sensitivity and kindness to the rehearsal room.
The actress also admitted she felt sick after rehearsals with Giovanni, a fan favourite who starred on Strictly for eight years before being axed.
Despite the controversy surrounding his departure, Giovanni confirmed last week that he will be joining the line-up for the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing.
Giovanni has strongly denied Amanda’s claims that the dancer bullied her and that she suffered from PTSD after leaving the competition.
A source told The Mail On Sunday: ‘Gio is delighted, he had hoped it would happen, he had everything going against him.
‘He is so happy that he can continue dancing and what makes it even better is that it can be in his home country.
‘The deadline was approaching and the BBC had been putting off the outcome for a while, but Ballando’s bosses love him, they adore him and they have now signed him.
“It’s absolutely devastating for Gio. He’s stuck in limbo and unable to move on with his life. It’s going to be a lovely, lovely boost for him.
Ballando con le Stelle opened in 2005, a year after Strictly began in the UK, and was filmed in a beautiful 19th-century theatre in the RAI Auditorium in Rome’s Foro Italico.