Giovanni Pernice has reportedly quit Strictly Come Dancing following the drama he endured last year.
Amid the 2023 series, Giovanni, 33, faced scrutiny over his partnership with Amanda Abbington. Amanda quit the show a few weeks in, citing medical reasons.
Since then, reports have claimed that Amanda developed PTSD after working with Giovanni on the show. He has defended his teaching methods, admitting he is a “perfectionist” which “comes from a perspective of caring”.
Giovanni Pernice ‘quits’ Strictly
Now, reports have claimed that Italian dancer Giovanni – who joined the BBC show in 2015 – is stepping away.
A source has told The Sun: “Gio feels the scrutiny on him has become too much, and now is the time to make a fresh start. He wants to focus on other TV projects, and feels he’s achieved all he can on Strictly, having won the trophy back in 2021 and reaching the final an unprecedented four times.”
The insider added: “He remains adamant he’s done nothing wrong other than being a hard taskmaster, but knows his style of training isn’t to everyone’s liking — especially in this day and age.
“He has a lot of other exciting projects in the pipeline right now, and he’s just super-excited to get cracking on them. This, now, is his priority.”
A BBC spokesperson told us: “The Professional Dancers for Strictly Come Dancing 2024 will be announced in due course.”
ED! has contacted reps for Giovanni for comment.
Giovanni and Amanda
It comes months after the drama surrounding Giovanni and Amanda broke. In October, Amanda quit Strictly on medical grounds.
However, reports claimed that Amanda and Giovanni were feuding behind the scenes. In January, reports alleged that Amanda had developed PTSD and needed therapy after her exit.
He remains adamant he’s done nothing wrong other than being a hard taskmaster.
She reportedly asked for tapes of her training sessions with Giovanni to “lift the lid” on behind the scenes of the programme.
In March, reports claimed that three of Giovanni’s Strictly partners – including Amanda – had an “emotional” meeting. They reportedly discussed their experiences on the BBC show. The other two partners were apparently Ranvir Singh and Laura Whitmore.
Meanwhile, Giovanni later addressed his partnership with Amanda.
Speaking on the Mirror‘s Invite Only podcast in March, Giovanni said of Amanda: “It’s a shame because, in my opinion, she could have gone all the way.”
He also said: “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. 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.”
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