Strictly’s Giovanni Pernice takes aim at Amanda Abbington

Giovanni Pernice has taken a swipe at his former dance partner Amanda Abbington as he battles accusations of abuse when they trained together on Strictly.

The professional dancer, 33, has strongly denied any allegations of ‘threatening and abusive’ behaviour while rehearsing for the live shows.

Giovanni quit Strictly Come Dancing earlier this month amid a ‘serious misconduct’ probe – after his recent dance partner Amanda filed a complaint against him.

It emerged that an investigation was launched into claims surrounding Giovanni’s behaviour on Strictly, with three of his former partners banding together – Amanda, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh.

He has been hit by a string of allegations from former celebrity partners on the BBC show, with the channel forced to investigate ‘serious workplace misconduct claims’ after three of his celebrity partners sought legal help.

Giovanni has now indirectly offered his thoughts on the matter, by ‘liking’ a comment left by one of his fans in the comments section of a recent post.

The comment suggests that Amanda did not have the ‘mental strength’ to compete on the BBC latin and ballroom show.

The message appeared underneath a video of Giovanni and his girlfriend Molly Brown enjoying a recent getaway to Portugal. 

She said: ‘Keep your chin up Gio, unlucky that someone decided to partner you with someone who didn’t have the mental strength to participate in Strictly.

‘The frustration I have is that no ‘official’ complaint has been made, it’s all innuendo by one partner when the other two have jumped in the bandwagon. 

‘If’ things were so bad why has no one picked up in the last nine seasons either in the programme itself or during the tour?’

The comment went on to reference Giovanni’s previous partners, Ranvir and Laura, who are seeking legal action against him, reading: ‘These partners may have had issues but as far as I can tell did not make anything official…

‘But now they have banded together they appear to have hired a £700 an hour lawyer, one thing is for sure my license fee better not be picking up this bill, they can pay it out of their fee for appearing in Strictly.

‘Like I say, let Gio see the accusations and let professionals like Arlene Phillips review. So fed up of AA, LW and RS systematically trying to ruin a professional’s reputation. Let’s get this sorted once and for all, all started when one woman, who was already going through a lot in her personal life, couldn’t take the added pressure of professional dancing, which is a great shame.’

Three women, whose identities haven’t been confirmed by Strictly or Giovanni, have sought the services of law firm Carter-Ruck to investigate Giovanni’s behaviour.

A Carter Ruck spokeswoman said: ‘There have been numerous serious complaints made to the BBC, who are now in the process of evidence gathering. As it is still an ongoing matter no further comment can be made at this stage.’

Giovanni has strongly denied that there is any truth to allegations which have been made against him. 

Taking to Instagram, Giovanni said: ‘To my dear fans, You will be as surprised as I am that allegations have been made about my dance teaching methods in the media this week. Of course, I reject any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour, and I look forward to clearing my name.

‘Those who have followed my journey on Strictly Come Dancing over the last decade will know that I am passionate and competitive. No-one is more ambitious for my dance partners than me. I have always striven to help them be the very best dancers they can be. This has always come from a place of love and wanting to win – for me and my dance partners.’

It comes after it was reported that a second show Giovanni is involved in has been shelved amid the ongoing investigation into his behaviour backstage.

Last week it was said that Giovanni’s BBC travel show Anton & Giovanni’s Adventures, alongside Strictly judge Anton Du Beke, had been put on hold amid the probe.

And on Tuesday it was revealed that Channel 4 programme Celebrity Hunted – which the star filmed last year – had also been postponed indefinitely 

A source told The Sun: ‘This will be gutting for Gio, as he’s seen himself get increasing amounts of work beyond the dance show.

‘It’s particularly galling as Celebrity Hunted is a programme designed as a fundraising and awareness raising vehicle for their Stand Up 2 Cancer appeal.

‘That’s something he very much wanted to be a part of, so it is a huge disappointment to know it probably won’t see the light of day while the investigation is ongoing.

Giovanni filmed Celebrity Hunted – which sees pairs go on the run to try and avoid the hunters [surveillance experts] – in May 2023 with fellow Strictly pro Kai Widdrington.

The dancers were one of four pairs on the show, including pals Christine McGuinness and Duncan James, soap stars Danielle Harold and Kimberly Hart-Simpson and husband and wife duo Denise Welch and Lincoln Townley.

Celebrity Hunted was aired around March in both 2022 and 2023, so fans had expected to see a season around the same time this year.

Giovanni has been hit by a string of allegations from former celebrity partners on the BBC show, with the channel forced to investigate ‘serious workplace misconduct claims’ after three of his celebrity partners sought legal help.

A source told The Mirror: ‘This has been a really difficult time for Giovanni but the tour with Anton is going ahead. 

‘There is no reason for it to be cancelled or even postponed. Gio has not been found guilty of anything, though he is the subject of much speculation. 

‘The Back Together tour will go ahead, and he and Anton will be standing up on stage together as they have done for many tours.’

Anton is said to be ‘hugely standing by’ Giovanni Pernice after he quit Strictly Come Dancing amid the BBC’s ‘serious misconduct’ probe.

The pair are appearing together in a live show called Giovanni and Anton Together: The Live Tour, which will begin in June and last until the end of July – and the duo began rehearsals on Monday. 

Giovanni posted a video of the pair on his Instagram Stories and the accompanying promo photo shows the two men hugging one another, showing they are the best of friends.

Anton opened the clip by saying: ‘First day of rehearsals, always my favourite day. Second day, less so,’ to which Giovanni laughed.

Giovanni was said to be ‘fully co-operating’ with the BBC’s investigation, and has launched a fight back by legal firm Schillings.

A source told The Sun: ‘Giovanni and Anton had conversations about another travel show and had discussed where they could go next after their trips to Sicily and Spain.

‘But Giovanni has now been told this won’t be happening and there will not be another series.

‘It’s embarrassing because he’d actively hinted about getting another run but all discussions are off and he’s been told the show is on the scrap heap now.’ 

Giovanni has also signed with talent agency Off Limits in a bid to rebuild his profile, after multiple Strictly co-stars remained silent on the claims he’s facing. 

On Wednesday, Schillings confirmed they had been hired by the troubled Strictly dancer, in what television insiders describe as a ‘bold move’ after his former dancer Amanda and two other women instructed lawyers at Carter Ruck to complain to the BBC.