Giovanni Pernice has had his fair share of ups and downs with his dance partners on Strictly Come Dancing.
The BBC dancer has been the subject of several rift rumours over the years. The Italian hunk joined the BBC show in 2015 and has earned a record-breaking 98 perfect scores across eight series.
In 2022, he won the Glitterball Trophy for the first time with former EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis. However, it seems not all his partnerships have been smooth-sailing.
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In 2023, he was paired with Amanda Abbington who left the show in October for personal reasons amid rumours of a feud with Gio and didn’t return for the final. Recently, it was reported that Amanda has asked the BBC for backstage footage of her and Giovanni.
(Image: BBC)
After leaving the show, it’s said she is dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and is now keen to review the recordings after seeking legal advice. A source told The Sun: “There is a feeling that the recordings will lift the lid on what really goes on behind the scenes on Strictly.
“Things in rehearsals can become very tense.” They added that Giovanni could be “incredibly full-on” as he is a “perfectionist”. A pal of Amanda reportedly told the press that she was left “broken and saddened” by her experience on the show, needing therapy to cope with the shock.
They added that it took her months to recover from the ordeal, which came as a surprise given her initial excitement about joining the show. Gio’s previous dance partners have also admitted to feeling uncomfortable or overwhelmed during rehearsals with him.
In 2016, he was paired with ex-Love Island host Laura Whitmore, who later revealed she felt “uncomfortable” with him and cried daily during their stint on the show. She told the Huffington Post: “I’m still not ready to talk in depth about my experience on the show.
(Image: BBC)
“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, Giovanni reportedly had a falling out with Good Morning Britain’s Ranvir Singh, who later confessed to having a “total meltdown” during rehearsals. She told co-star Kate Garraway that their partnership experienced a “20-minute divorce”.
Ranvir shared: “We had a quiet moment when we needed time to ourselves. I have to be honest, I had a total meltdown and Giovanni put me in my place. He pointed to his arm, which says, ‘Never give up’ and says, ‘That’s just who I am’.”
In 2022, Giovanni was paired with a male celebrity for the first time, BBC presenter Richie Anderson. Rumours of a feud and the pair “not clicking” were rife, before they became just the second couple to be given the boot.
Giovanni was said to have become frustrated with Richie’s reluctance to listen to him in rehearsals, whilst speculation heightened after the pair sat apart on appearance on It Takes Two.
He later said the rumours were “untrue”, however, insisting there was “no problem” and they were having the “best time” away from the cameras. While Ranvir and Amanda still follow Giovanni on Instagram, Laura and Richie don’t.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
