Everything Giovanni Pernice’s Strictly partners have said about his ‘militant’ ways

Giovanni Pernice has been accused of being too tough on his celebrity dance partners, and now his future on the show is reportedly in doubt.

The 33-year-old dancer joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2015 and quickly impressed viewers with his Charleston swivels and Latin moves. The Italian hunk, who earned a Guinness World Record for Jive kicks and flicks, has since established himself as one of the show’s most famous professionals.

But some of his celeb partners have criticised Gio’s teaching methods and claimed he has a ‘militant’ training style, alleging he pushes them until they’re at breaking point. But Gio has dended his methods and suggests it helps to ‘get the best from his partners’.

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The BBC has also supported him amid these claims, but now there are worries that he might not be paired up in the upcoming 2024 series. This comes after his reportedly rocky partnership with BBC star Amanda Abbington, who left last year’s series after just four weeks, reports the Mirror.

There are reports that show producers are discussing how to handle the situation, especially as Amanda has reportedly met with some of Giovanni’s former dance partners about his behaviour. Discussing Gio’s future on the show, a source told The Sun: “Giovanni has a meeting with Strictly on Thursday about his return later this year.

“They have not received any official complaints and are backing him. He is an accomplished pro dancer and it’s expected he will be taking his place in the formal line-up when it” announced later this month.”

A spokesperson for the show told the same publication: “The pro dancers for 2024 will be announced in due course.” With speculation about the hunk’s future on Strictly, we’ve rounded up everything Gio’s partners have said about him.

Georgia May Foote – 2015

In 2015, when Giovanni first joined the show, his initial partner was ex-Coronation Street star Georgia May Foote. Their chemistry quickly caught everyone’s attention.

At that time, Georgia was dating her co-star Sean Ward, who played Callum Logan, and he was often seen cheering her on from the audience. However, their relationship hit a rough patch in December of that year.

Just a few weeks later, Gio and Georgia – who were runners-up to The Wanted singer Jay McGuiness and his partner Aliona Vilani – were spotted kissing during a trip to Disneyland Paris in the New Year. They started living together just weeks after the series ended.

Georgia was overjoyed, saying it was “the best thing that had ever happened” to her. People started thinking they might get married when they saw a ring on her left hand. But they said it was a ‘commitment band’, not an engagement ring.

Soon, things started to go wrong. Georgia, who praised Gio for being a good teacher, admitted she felt jealous in the summer of 2016 before the new series of Strictly. She said: “Of course I’ll get jealous. Whoever Giovanni gets is a very lucky girl. He’s a great teacher.”

She added: “I’m excited for whoever he gets and, yeah, he’s a great teacher, so I’m happy for him. I think it’s fine”. But their relationship wasn’t fine and just weeks later, Giovanni announced they had broken up – just as he was paired with future Love Island host Laura Whitmore.

Fans thought he decided to break up with her on his own. Georgia, who was 25 at the time, was really upset, her friends said: “It was a huge shock for Georgia. They’d been talking about moving things forward and marriage, so for him to dump her doesn’t make sense,” one told New! magazine.

“She’s devastated and in shock because it was not something she was expecting. There’s a definite feeling among her friends and family that it was very convenient timing for him.”

But Georgia told fans: “It is with great sadness we have decided to split up. There is nobody else involved. Although it was not an easy decision to make, sometimes you realise that it is better to be friends and this is one of those times.

“We both have very busy work schedules for the rest of the year so we are both going to focus on our upcoming work projects and we wish each other well for the future.”

Laura Whitmore – 2016

After breaking up, Giovanni got paired with Irish star Laura and everyone thought they could lift the Glitterball. But things didn’t go smoothly, and there were reports that the pair weren’t getting on in rehearsals.

Laura was also friends with Georgia and had to keep smiling for the telly despite knowing about her pal’s tough break up with her dance partner. By the time they left the show in Week 7, it’s said they weren’t speaking much behind the scenes.

“The atmosphere between Laura and Gio was never that great, but it’s now turned toxic,” one source told the Sun after the pair left the show. “They clashed during rehearsals as Laura got increasingly agitated with Gio’s tone.”

“They pulled it together for the live shows but behind the scenes, it was a different story. There’s certainly no love lost between them and it’s doubtful they’ll remain in contact when the series is wrapped up later this month.”

Giovanni was reportedly also frustrated with Laura’s lack of enthusiasm for promoting their partnership – vital for those all-important viewer votes – as she disliked filming behind-the-scenes videos with her dance partner. “Gio got frustrated with Laura over-analysing everything and not playing the PR game,” a source told The Sun.

The pair went their separate ways and in 2018 Laura broke her silence over their strained relationship, writing in a first-person piece for the Huffington Post that she felt “extremely uncomfortable” being partnered with her friend’s ex, and saying she “cried every day” she was in the competition.

“I love dancing I topped the leaderboard twice but I was thrown into the middle of a break-up that had nothing to do with me. Once again, I was a ‘rumoured love interest’,” she wrote.

“I was placed with a dance partner I was extremely uncomfortable with and in the end I felt broken, I cried every day. And I really was broken, both mentally and physically, by the end.”

In 2020, she shared more about her time on the show, criticising BBC bosses for making her spend so much time with Giovanni when all she wanted was to dance. Speaking on the Private Parts podcast, Laura said she and her dance partner were together for 12 hours a day and also had to attend red carpet events together.

“What I didn’t like was being removed from everybody and having to spend 12 hours a day with this one person,” she said. “It did not become about the dancing. I just wanted to dance. I did not want to play the game of doing red carpets with your dance partner and stuff like that, which a lot of people thought you should be doing. I did not want to do that.”

Recent reports allege Laura, along with other former contestants such as Ranvir Singh, had met with Amanda Abbington to discuss her experience of working with Giovanni. They allegedly “compared notes” about their time working with Gio.

Debbie McGee – 2017

The 65 year old radio and stage performer competed in the competition in 2017 alongside Giovanni. They reached the final with Gemma Atkinson and Alexandra Burke but were beaten by Holby City actor Joe McFadden and professional Katya Jones.

Debbie, who worked hard with Giovanni on the show, recently shared her positive experience with the star. She said: “All my memories of Strictly behind-the-scenes are happy ones. I adored every single minute and every single person I was working with.”

In a chat with Express.co.uk, she added: “I never felt an ounce of competitiveness. Everyone supported each other – pros and celebrities.”

Faye Tozer – 2018

In 2018, Steps singer Faye Tozer was paired with Giovanni. They had a good working relationship throughout the 16th series, but there were rumours that they were “ranting behind each other’s back”.

An insider told The Sun: “Faye and Giovanni have been struggling with the pressure and have both been ranting behind each other’s back,” but a BBC rep dismissed these claims. The source also said Faye was feeling emotional due to the intense training.

Faye asked her fans for advice on how to deal with fatigue in a tweet. She wrote: “Wow… this week is super, proper, crazy, hard,” she wrote. “I am exhausted! Any top tips for fatigue and focus??? I am all ears!! xxx @bbcstrictly #semifinalsweek.”

Despite the challenges, they made it to the final, just missing out on the trophy to Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton. After the Strictly series ended, it was revealed that Giovanni Pernice had been secretly dating yet another celebrity from the show: Ashley Roberts, a singer from the Pussycat Dolls.

This squashed the gossip about him and married Faye Tozer getting too cosy. When asked about Giovanni’s and Ashley’s relationship being public, Faye jokingly commented: “Ashley is a hot chick, she is a sexy mama and Giovanni is a young, single, fabulous guy, so yeah. They would make a great couple.”

Michelle Visage – 2019

In 2019, Giovanni was paired with Drag Race UK judge Michelle Visage on the Strictly dance floor. Rumour has it that their rehearsals were tense as they started “locking horns” from the get-go.

A source told The Sun: “Michelle has become quite unhappy at times. She has a fiery relationship with Giovanni”. The source added: “Both are very strong characters and they’ve both had a lot to say. He’s probably not used to a partner being quite so in control and calling the shots.”

Michelle herself confronted these rumours, confessing that they were “at each other’s throats” due to their shared Italian heritage and astrological sign. She explained: “We’re both Italian. We’re both intense. We’re both Virgos. So there’s a perfectionist level that’s really ridiculous between us.

However, she insisted they got on, adding: “He wants it quicker than I’m able to provide it. So Mondays and Tuesdays is a lot of us at each other’s throats. By the end of the week, we’re totally in love with each other again and it’s fine.”

“I’ve never walked out. We just like to fight. We like to fight it out, but it’s just that’s all in love. Our relationship is very fiery. It is weird, but it’s perfect.”

But the rumours kept coming, so Michelle addressed the feud rumours. “The articles about my partner and I have been upsetting,” she wrote on Instagram before their Blackpool dance, after which they were axed from the show.

“If anyone knows us, you would know how close Giovanni and I are. Gio is my best friend in this competition, he is my rock and I trust him with everything. We have the most fun and laughs together and to suggest otherwise is just sad.”

Last year, she told This Morning: “I don’t like gossip, so I’m not here to gossip, but what I can say from my experience was yes, he’s tough. He’s probably the toughest pro there is. I wanted that. So it depends, some people can handle that, some people don’t want to handle that. I wanted that.”

She added: “We fought every day, and it was for good reason because we got to where we wanted to be, we looked beautiful together.”

Ranvir Singh – 2020

Good Morning Britain’s Ranvir Singh danced with Gio in 2020 during the height of the Covid pandemic. There were even whispers about Ranvir and Gio liking each other more than just dance partners because of their chemistry on the dance floor.

Giovanni had to slam the claims, telling Entertainment Daily: “Every year there’s always a romance rumour with a different partner. I mean, even if you don’t have a partner there’s a rumour. The thing is you get very close when you dance with another person, but dancing is equal to acting. You have to deliver a performance. Each dance is a different story.”

He added: “No, no, no no no. I’m single, absolutely there’s no way [he would date Ranvir]. We are very very good friends. Every time you get close in a Rumba or Argentine tango with your partner they try to make out a story. So if they think that there is a romance, it means we are doing it absolutely right.”

But Ranvir stopped following him on social media after the show ended, though she did start following him again later. And she revealed she was scared of the dancer before the show started, saying: “Don’t be fooled by his angelic face! He is a fiery Italian, super strict – I am a bit scared of him.”

Rose Ayling-Ellis – 2021

In 2021, Giovanni won the competition with EastEnders actress Rose. She was the first deaf person to appear on the show and formed a beautiful friendship with the dancer.

Gio has regularly shared his affection for Rose in gushing social media posts and he even started learning sign language after she won a BAFTA for her dance on the show. He said: “I’m learning some BSL (British Sign Language), a journey I started last year after being partnered with Rose, who is now a close friend.”

Rose has had nothing but kind words for Giovanni and paid an emotional tribute to him when they wont he show She said: “He came into my world and brought the best out of me. I cannot thank him enough for all the work and effort to make me become the dancer that I am today. Winning the Glitterball is the best gift I could ever give to Giovanni because he really deserves it.”

Even though they stopped dancing together a while ago, they are still friends and regularly see each other. They got back together in 2022 to help people think about mental health and took a special photo in black and white.

Rose even went to see Giovanni in Sicily and met his sister Angela on his BBC One show with judge Anton Du Beke. Talking to OK! magazine in 2022, Rose said: “After what we went through, how could we not stay in touch?”

Richie Anderson – 2022

In 2022, Giovanni Pernice was given radio star Richie Anderson as his first male partner. However, their relationship was plagued by claims of a feud amid reports they hadn’t clicked.

Perhaps in an attempt to put an end to these rumors, Richie shared a clip of their cha-cha-cha performance on Instagram, saying: “A moment I’ll never forget and so grateful I got to share it with Giovanni.”

“Thank you Gio for being the most amazing teacher over the past fortnight. Last night was a dream come true moment.”

Rumours claim Gio was left frustrated by Richie’s approach to rehearsals, with one insider saying: “The pair haven’t clicked. Richie is so swept up by the whole experience that he is talking 100 words a minute, and it can be hard for Giovanni.”

“He has told pals that Richie talks instead of listening during training, and it is frustrating.” However, a Strictly source denied these rumors, stating: “Talk of them not getting on is nonsense. They are having such a laugh and were thrilled at the reaction on Saturday night.”

Amanda Abbington – 2023

Gio’s most recent partnership was with actress Amanda Abbington and it ended abruptly in October. It was announced live on Strictly: It Takes Two that she wouldn’t be returning to the competition.

Abbington and Giovanni had been partnered together for the 2023 series, but their relationship was quickly marred by rumors of tension and disagreements. Gio’s training style was called into question after the Sherlock actress reportedly sought legal advice to obtain backstage footage of their rehearsals.

One source claimed Amanda, 52, had been left shaken by Gio’s “militant and aggressive” training style and had wanted to pull out of the competition even before the first live show. “Giovanni is a hard taskmaster and takes the competition very, very seriously,” they said.

“Amanda was really looking forward to dancing with him, but has found his aggressive training style and attitude pretty difficult to handle. He is quite militant in his approach to training. She’s been left very shaken, and has liaised with her team about quitting.”

The pair got through the first four weeks but Amanda pulled out of the week five show due to “medical issues”. Less than 48 hours later, Fleur East revealed she had dramatically quit the series, and Amanda later broke her silence to reveal it was due to “personal reasons” – and later said she had been diagnosed with PTSD.

“It is with deepest regret that I had to leave Strictly. I did not come to this decision easily or lightly but for personal reasons I am unable to continue,” she wrote on Instagram. “It was an absolute joy working with my fellow contestants, they are a beautiful, hardworking and talented group of people who I love and who I will miss seeing every Friday and Saturday and competing alongside.”

“I want to thank the incredible Production team and everyone on Strictly who looked after me and who are so kind and caring. It’s a wonderful bunch of people and I’ll miss all of them,” she said.

“I’m so sad that I am unable to go any further. Thank you to everyone who voted and who sent wonderful messages and inspiring support. You are all amazing. Truly. Thank you. xxx.”

She didn’t mention Giovanni in her post but he showed his support for her by posting a photo of them together, writing: “Amanda .. I am so sad we can’t continue but I am proud of what we achieved and I am sending you so much love @amanda_abbington74 @bbcstrictly.”

It’s claimed Amanda wanted to see all the backstage clips from her time with Giovanni and has even got a top lawyer involved. It’s also suggested she has been chatting with some of Giovanni’s past partners like Ranvir Singh and Laura Whitmore about their time dancing with him.

Earlier this month, Giovanni and Anton opened up about Amanda’s departure from the show in The Mirror. On our Invite Only podcast, Giovanni confessed: “I am a perfectionist, 100%, but it comes from a perspective of caring. I think all of the professional dancers are in the same place. In every single part of the world, if you’re a professional dancer on one of these shows, you have to get these people looking the best they can on Saturday night.”

“And if we have good scores at the end, I do look back and say, ‘I’ve done a great job’. But we all care about our partners and we want that for them every single week to look great on a Saturday. There’s no specific way that you are, or have to be with your celebrity. You make the most of their strengths so the only thing that’s constant is the fact that you have to do a show on Saturday night.”

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk