Giovanni Pernice is NOT returning to Strictly Come Dancing BBC confirm as they unveil full line-up of professionals amid workplace ‘misconduct’ probe

Giovanni Pernice will not return to Strictly Come Dancing, the BBC has confirmed.

The names of professional dancers set to appear next season were announced on Monday – with Giovanni absent from the list after it emerged he is in the middle of an investigation into workplace ‘misconduct’.

This year sees the return of Amy Dowden, who was treated for breast cancer last year, alongside Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Graziano Di Prima, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Gorka Marquez and Luba Mushtuk.

Jowita Przystal, Johannes Radebe, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Michelle Tsiakkas and Vito Coppola join them on the dance floor.

The BBC also confirmed the return of judges Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel-Horwood and Anton Du Beke.

Sarah James, executive producer, said in a statement: ‘This year marks strictly two decades of entertainment for the nation and we’ll be back with a bang this September as we celebrate in style with our incredible team both on and off screen .’

Further details, including the brand new celebrity contestants set to compete in 2024, will be announced in due course.

The news comes after Strictly was hit by a new wave of allegations surrounding professional dancer Giovanni, who was already under fire.

The BBC launched an investigation after the 33-year-old dancer was accused of ‘threatening and offensive behaviour’ while working with celebrity contestants on the show, including Amanda Abbington, Ranvir Singh and Laura Whitmore.

Last week one A male celebrity reportedly joined the group of women who raised complaints about Giovanni’s behavior.

And now it’s claimed a professional dancer required three months of therapy after starring in the show alongside Giovanni.

The sun has reported that the unnamed fellow dancer suffered “significant emotional distress” during the show, which required professional help.

A source told the publication: ‘One of the dancers in the show found it so traumatizing that they sought professional help. The show is unlike anything else on TV. The pressure on the participants is enormous and should not be underestimated.

‘But Giovanni’s demanding behavior behind the scenes took things to another level and caused significant emotional problems.

“They were so upset by what had happened that they needed help to recover from the toll it had taken.”

Three women, including actress Amanda, have hired £700-an-hour lawyers from leading London law firm Carter Ruck to pursue claims against Giovanni and the BBC.

And in the latest twist to the bitter legal battle, an unnamed male star, who worked with Giovanni during his time on the show, is said to have shared his experiences with the law firm.

‘After three women came forward, a man has now joined them. He has personally reached out to the women at the heart of this evolving crisis and offered them his support and full support,” the source said. The sun.

“He also contacted Carter Ruck and told them what he knows and shared his experiences. These experiences were sometimes very difficult.’

Giovanni launched a fight by hiring the rival law firm Schillings. His case is being handled by Joelle Rich, 39, who represented Johnny Depp in his 2020 defamation trial.

A spokesperson for Giovanni told the publication: ‘Schillings is in discussions with BBC Studios to provide Giovanni’s evidence to strongly refute the claims made about him and confirm that Giovanni is cooperating fully.

‘As with any reality TV programme, when decisions are made for entertainment reasons, the producers have a duty of care to all participants.’

This weekend it was reported that rehearsal tapes between Amanda and Giovanni will not be released to the actress after she demanded they prove her bullying claims.

Amanda was told that they could not hand over the tapes to her because they contained a third person, Giovanni, and not just her.

He therefore has the right to have private information or content about him not disclosed without his consent.

An insider said this The sun: ‘It begs the question, “What does he have to hide?” It doesn’t look good.’

The insider continued: ‘The BBC will have reviewed the footage and considered whether it was possible to redact the content it appears on.

“After speaking to him, they decided to withhold it completely at his request. The irony is that Giovanni’s camp gave the impression that it was his idea to install cameras that could monitor the rehearsals, even though Amanda’s friends claimed it was her.”

Amanda left the competition midway through the series, citing personal reasons after weeks of rumors of a feud with Giovanni.

The Sherlock star said she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and demanded to see footage of the rehearsals.

Amanda previously denied reports that Giovanni had asked the BBC to record his rehearsals with the actress amid growing concerns about her behaviour. She claimed that she had asked to film their dancing practices, not him.

She told The Ny Breaking: ‘I asked to record them, it was me. Giovanni is nasty. He was terrible to some of us, to a group of us.”

Amanda went on to describe how her life was devastated by the experience, which has exploded since she abruptly quit the show midway through the last series.

In January, she claimed she suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after working with Giovanni, and later complained about sustaining a bruised foot during training.

“You don’t understand how awful this all is,” she said. ‘Giovanni’s fans are starting to troll me now. I have had to leave social media and am receiving death threats.’

The actress also insisted that she had complained about Giovanni’s behavior early on in the series. “I went to producers early on and told them about Giovanni,” she said.

And she lamented the consequences: ‘All this because I didn’t enjoy a television programme. Because of all this I didn’t enjoy it.’

Amanda has led the charge by accusing him of ‘difficult behaviour’ during training and is currently speaking to the BBC to discuss possible workplace misconduct.

Despite the furor, head judge Shirley Ballas has backed the under-fire pro and will join him in a series of dance classes in London next month.

The one-day event, called Ballando, will be led by Shirley, Giovanni and Anton Du Beke as they share their expertise with fans.

No details have yet been released about how Giovanni allegedly behaved. But the BBC released an unprecedented statement on the dispute.

A spokesperson for Strictly said: ‘When a complaint is made to the BBC, we assess and take the necessary steps to establish the facts, whether there is a matter that needs to be answered and, if necessary, what action should be taken undertaken.

‘All this is in the context of the BBC having a duty of care to everyone involved in a complaint – that includes those who made the complaint and those who are complained about.

‘While we know our shows have been positive experiences for many of the participants, we will always look at any issues with care, fairness and sensitivity to all involved.’

Sources familiar with the situation say the BBC came under pressure from Amanda’s team to publicly say it was she who asked to record the rehearsals.

A source said: ‘It’s absolutely terrible. Amanda wanted the BBC to set the record straight, to confirm her version of events.

‘But of course they can’t. It just shows that if she doesn’t like what’s being said, she shouts about it loudly.”