Giovanni Pernice has sparked rumors he could quit Strictly Come Dancing following his row with Amanda Abbington over his training style – despite the BBC fully backing him.
The professional dancer, 33, named his 2025 tour Giovanni: The Last Dance, sparking speculation about his time on Strictly.
The name of his tour has terrified fans into believing it could be his final series on the BBC programme.
A source said The mirror: ‘It’s no secret that the past few months have been difficult for Giovanni.
“The name of his 2025 show will definitely get the rumor mill spinning.”
Giovanni Pernice, 33, has sparked rumors he could quit Strictly Come Dancing after his feud with Amanda Abbington over his training style – despite the BBC fully backing him
The actress, 52, quit the series midway through last year for ‘personal reasons’ amid claims of a feud between her and the dancer, 33, before reporting that she had demanded footage of their rehearsals after the experience in the competition left her with PTSD had left behind.
Meanwhile, another source told the publication that the name of Giovanni’s tour was planned long before Amanda left the show.
Amanda, 52, quit mid-series last year for ‘personal reasons’ amid claims of a feud between her and the dancer, 33, before reporting that she had demanded footage of their rehearsals after the experience in the competition left her with PTSD had left behind.
But despite fresh allegations that he left a fourth celebrity in tears, MailOnline revealed that the BBC were ‘totally’ supporting Giovanni and that he would return to the show later this year after the broadcaster offered him a new contract.
The allegations, attributed to sources close to his most recent dance partner Amanda, made it clear that Giovanni was “abrasive” with his partners and had reduced some to tears.
While strict insiders agree Giovanni pushes his partners hard to give them the best possible chance of winning the glitterball, they insist he is not a bully.
And that is why, despite the accusations of Amanda and three of his former partners, Giovanni was “offered a contract” during the meeting, which he immediately accepted.
“He’s excited,” an insider said on the BBC One show. “While there are still dots and crosses that still need to be written, it all seems to be happening for him. Being the twentieth anniversary, it’s a big year for the show and everyone involved wants Giovanni to be a part of it.
‘It’s been a very difficult few months for him. It’s been really tough being confronted with such claims but not having anything to respond to.”
The professional dancer named his 2025 tour Giovanni: The Last Dance, sparking speculation about his time on Strictly
The name of his tour has terrified fans into believing it could be his final series on the BBC programme
Despite fresh allegations that he left a fourth celebrity in tears, MailOnline revealed that the BBC were ‘totally’ supporting Giovanni and that he would return to the show later this year after the broadcaster offered him a new contract.
The allegations, attributed to sources close to his most recent dance partner Amanda (pictured), indicated that Giovanni was ‘abrasive’ towards his partners and had reduced some to tears
Both the BBC and Team Giovanni say this is not the case officially complaints about his behavior
One source even described the claims as a ‘nasty witch hunt’ which could not only have ended his Strictly TV career but also jeopardized his place on the international ballroom dancing circuit in general.
It all started in January when the Sun reported that former Sherlock star Amanda had asked the BBC for CCTV footage of the pair rehearsing. She claimed to have suffered from ‘post-traumatic stress disorder’ as a result of her appearance on the program and was considering legal action.
Bosses at both Giovanni and Strictly believe the story was leaked by friends of Amanda, who has never made any comment on the matter.
Despite numerous stories that she and Giovanni did not get along during the series, she insisted at the time that they were the best of friends.
The row broke out again three weeks ago after the Sun reported that Good Morning Britain’s Amanda Ranvir Singh and TV presenter Laura Whitmore – both of Giovanni’s former Strictly partners – had met to discuss their own ‘difficult’ experiences with him.
This led to “tears,” according to sources close to Amanda, who shared details of the meeting.
Despite Giovanni’s friends dismissing the story as ‘three women meeting for a coffee and a moan’, the dancer was once again left ‘appalled’ by the messages.
And earlier this week it was reported that Giovanni’s 2018 partner, former member of 1990s band Steps, Faye Tozer, struggled to work with him and burst into tears after performing together on spin-off show It Takes Two.
Faye, who made it to the final with Giovanni, ignored any opportunity to speak about the issue when approached, with those working on the show at the time saying her tears were in fact about a ‘personal matter outside the show’. .
The row erupted again three weeks ago after the Sun reported that Good Morning Britain’s Amanda Ranvir Singh (L) and television presenter Laura Whitmore (R) – both of Giovanni’s former Strictly partners – had met to discuss their own ‘tough’ issues . experiences working with him
And earlier this week it was reported that Giovanni’s 2018 partner, former member of 1990s band Steps, Faye Tozer, struggled to work with him and burst into tears after performing together on spin-off show It Takes Two .
The lack of evidence and the fact that Amanda had told bosses before the end of the series last year that she was leaving Strictly for another medical reason left them with nothing to formally investigate.
“The BBC fully supports him,” says an insider at the broadcaster. ‘There have been no complaints about Giovanni’s behaviour, no one has actually spoken out and said ‘He did this to me’ or ‘He did that to me’.
“Nothing has come to light about any of these people and it feels very unfair to judge someone and potentially dump someone from their job because of what is in the red tops.”