Strictly Come Dancing’s Giovanni Pernice looked somber as he was spotted strolling the streets of Italy during a family holiday on Tuesday.
The current scandal has led to numerous allegations of misconduct and forced professional dancers Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni to quit the long-running Saturday night program.
Giovanni’s former partner Amanda Abbington, 50, has made a series of allegations and an official complaint about his teaching methods, describing his behaviour as ‘unnecessary, abusive, cruel and vile’. He has strongly denied all the allegations.
As the popular show continues to grapple with allegations of bullying, the 33-year-old Italian dancer looked rather somber during his relaxing outing.
The action follows support from fellow professional dancer Vito Coppola, who recently spoke out about the scandal.
Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice, 33, looked somber as he was spotted strolling the streets of Italy on Tuesday during a family holiday
It follows support from fellow professional dancer Vito Coppola, who recently spoke out about the scandal
The dancer has spoken out in support of sacked star Graziano Di Prima after it emerged he ‘punched and kicked’ his partner Zara McDermott during rehearsals last year.
Vito is said to be supporting his good friend, with whom he grew up and participated in dance competitions in Italy, despite the fact that he and Giovanni have been accused of bullying.
He told The Mirror: ‘I love Graziano. I’ve known him since years ago, when we were competing. I love him and I will always love him.’
While Vito showed his support, Giovanni looked stylish in a beige suit this week as he went out for dinner with friends and family.
He was seen smoking a cigarette outside a posh eatery in the beautiful Italian streets.
Last week MailOnline reported that a verdict in the case involving Amanda and Giovanni is expected before the end of this week.
Company investigators have enlisted former MET officers to oversee the investigation.
A source close to the investigation said a decision is likely to be announced within days.
Vito has spoken out in support of sacked star Graziano Di Prima after it emerged he ‘punched and kicked’ his partner Zara McDermott during rehearsals last year
Vito is said to be supporting his good friend – who he grew up and danced with in Italy – despite him and Giovanni (pictured) being accused of bullying.
The current scandal has led to numerous allegations of misconduct and has forced professional dancers Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni to leave the long-running Saturday night program
And while the scandalous hit series continues to battle bullying allegations, the Italian dancer looked rather somber during his relaxing outing
Amid Vito’s displays of support, Giovanni looked stylish in a beige suit at a dinner with friends and family this week
He was seen puffing on a cigarette outside a posh eatery in the beautiful Italian streets
The source said: ‘Detectives have been reviewing evidence over the past few weeks, including text messages and messages shared via WhatsApp.
‘They spoke to witnesses and re-interviewed people who made statements as part of the investigation.
‘The investigators are confident that they have seen and assessed everything they needed to see and that they are now in a position to make a definitive decision about what happened.
‘All allegations have now been presented to Giovanni and his team of lawyers and Amanda has had the opportunity to provide all the evidence she needed.
‘They both now just want to hear what the BBC has decided.
The source added that it is unlikely the BBC will provide a full account of what they have discovered, and that their final statement could be quite short.
The source added: ‘The investigation has been a long one. It has been many, many months of work, because there is a lot of information to go through.
‘But it is likely that the final statement released will be quite short. Much detail and information may remain private – not least because there is the potential for further legal action in the future which the BBC must be prepared for.’
This follows reports that Amanda found BBC bosses’ interrogation techniques ‘deeply offensive’ during the investigation
Giovanni is said to have made a rude comment about a member of Amanda’s family, prompting BBC bosses to ‘basically ask’ her if the dancer meant the remark as a light-hearted joke (Amanda pictured with son Joe, daughter Grace and fiancé Jonathan Goodwin)
A BBC spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘As we have said before, we will not comment on individuals or post speculation.’
This follows reports that Amanda found the BBC boss’s questioning “deeply offensive” during the investigation.
The actress recently said she was questioned for the second time about a banned video the dancer shared with her and an “indecent comment” he made about another celebrity contestant when the video was sent.
Giovanni is also said to have made a rude comment about a member of Amanda’s family, prompting BBC bosses to ‘essentially ask’ her if the dancer had meant the remark in a light-hearted manner.
A source said The sun: ‘[Amanda] found this form of questioning very insulting.’
Regarding the alleged video, they told the publication: ‘The BBC cannot ignore the fact that the video was sent. There appears to be a trail of evidence.’
‘Even if it is established that the images were shared with innocent intent, the BBC fears that this may constitute a breach of conduct as set out in the contract handed to the professional dancers.’
A BBC spokesman said: ‘As we have said before, we will not comment on individuals and we will not speculate.’
Amanda shares her children with her ex-partner Martin Freeman (pictured 2015) and he is said to have contacted the actress to support her in the scandal
MailOnline has reached out to Amanda and Giovanni’s representatives for comment.
Amanda has a daughter Grace and a son Joe with her ex-partner Martin Freeman, 52, to whom she was married for 16 years, from 2000 to 2016.
Amanda is said to have recently released even more texts with new revelations about Giovanni’s behaviour on Strictly.
The dramatic intervention is said to have thrown the BBC’s investigation into the conduct of professional Giovanni into chaos and ‘changed the course of the inquiry’.
The sun reports that Amanda has come forward with new shocking messages, just as the investigation was almost complete. These messages allegedly show that Giovanni ‘crossed the line of what is acceptable’.
Earlier this week, Amanda was reportedly questioned for the second time by BBC bosses over “crude comments” she claims were made by Giovanni.
She was reportedly questioned via video call last week, when she spoke to two former Met detectives about her allegations about the professional dancer.
They reportedly discussed allegations of sexual comments during rehearsals, as well as “new evidence.” Giovanni has denied all allegations against him.
Amanda has made a series of allegations about Giovanni’s teaching methods and has described his behavior as “unnecessary, insulting, cruel and mean.” He strongly denies all allegations.
In an interview, Amanda compared the dance show to “the trenches” and told Channel 4 News that BBC producers were “appalled” by clips which also allegedly showed “degrading behaviour of a sexual nature”.
In another interview, speaking to Christine Lampard about Lorraine, she said: ‘It was inappropriate, it was mean, it was filthy, it was inappropriate.