Bullying, weight struggles & leaving home at 14 – what drives Giovanni Pernice’s ruthless quest for Strictly success
HE was once lauded as Strictly’s ‘Italian Stallion’ and his fiery temperament and straight-talking attitude went down a treat with viewers.
However, recent events have cast a shadow over Giovanni Pernice’s once spotless reputation, resulting in his shock exit from the show.
With a string of former dance partners – including Amanda Abbington, who quit the show and presenter Laura Whitmore – filing complaints over Giovanni’s “toxic” training methods, questions have arisen recently over the professional dancer’s conduct.
Giovanni – who has vehemently denied any wrongdoing – has vowed to fight “clear his name” and “fully cooperate” in a BBC investigation, which is said to have “cast a dark cloud” over the show’s 20th anniversary.
The 33-year-old – who has a tattoo reading “Born to Win” in Italian on his arm – has in the past fully admitted to being “addicted” to victory.
Those close to the dancer have claimed he’s simply a perfectionist whose determination to win is the reason for his boot camp-style training sessions.
While allegations of ‘serious misconduct’ are being investigated, Giovanni’s experiences growing up – including being bullied for wanting to become a dancer and leaving home at just 14 – hint at the roots of his fierce drive to succeed.
Here, psychologist Emma Kenny shares her thoughts with The Sun on how “workaholic” Giovanni’s past could have impacted his approach to Strictly in later life.
‘Not a proper man’
Growing up in Sicily, Giovanni decided he wanted to pursue a career in dance at just seven, after being inspired by Strictly’s precursor show, Come Dancing.
However, ‘macho’ attitudes to traditional gender roles and stereotypes made it difficult to pursue his hobby.
He told MailOnline: “Kids at school would take the Mickey.
“I didn’t care; I knew this was what I wanted to do. Plus, I was getting to spend a lot of time with girls!”
He also revealed he felt lonely growing up as a result of pursuing his love of dance, and said: “There’s a kind of attitude that if you’re a dancer you’re not a proper man.”
Posting a childhood throwback picture of himself topless, he made a joke about his weight and referenced the fact his bumbag was probably full of sweets, adding: “Which, as you can see from my body in the picture, I very much enjoyed, along with lasagne and pizza.”
Emma says: “Whenever you have a dream, something you’re really passionate about, you’re going to look around you and hope people will validate and respect that.
“So when you come up against people being negative and suggesting for example that you’re ‘not manly’, that goes against all of your hopes and aspirations.
“It’s very conflicting. You have your heart, telling you exactly where you should be going, but your head [saying] that might cause issues with peer relationships, and you’ll be isolated.
“Add to that issues with self esteem and self worth… You have to become pretty steadfast in what you want to do and in your approach to achieve it.”
Crying on the phone to ‘Mamma’
Despite the teasing, Giovanni started by having ballroom and Latin lessons, and quickly got the bug for it after winning his first competition.
He said: “[I] thought: ‘Wow, I’m good at this!’ After that I never stopped.
“Dancing became my only passion.
“It is a combination of the music, the connection between you and your partner and the audience applauding you; in that moment, I feel so alive.”
Thankfully his parents Mum Rosaldo and police officer dad Piero encouraged him to chase his dreams, and this led him to leave home and move to Bologna at just 14 after winning a scholarship.
But being apart from his close-knit family proved painful for the teenager.
He told The Guardian: “It was hard, because I was just a boy, and without my family by my side every day I felt as if I lost 50 per cent of my strength.
“At first there were times where I did cry on the phone to my mamma. She would reassure me with encouraging words like: ‘Just remember why you are doing this.’
“Between my determination and the love I had from my family, we worked together as a team to make Giovanni the person he is today.
“This lifestyle of being on your own can push you towards a more focused mindset. There are no distractions.”
Emma says: “To leave home at 14 is massively challenging – you’re still a child, and it doesn’t matter what your support network is like.
“You’re on your own, forming new relationships… It’s very isolating, and very scary. It takes a real positive mindset to cope with that.
“Even though he cried at times on the phone to his mother and was reassured he was loved and doing the right thing, the reality is he would have had to forge a huge amount of self-resilience.
“It’s no easy feat.
“The thing with [Giovanni] is he takes no prisoners with himself, so if people expect he’s going to take any prisoners with them, they’re going to be wrong.”
‘Addicted’ to winning
After winning his first Italian national championship in 2012 with partner Erika Attisano, Giovanni eventually found the confidence to accept a role on Strictly and move to London.
To celebrate the momentous win, he got his first tattoo – reading ‘Nato per Vincere’ (Born to Win).
That first taste of victory, he says, was: “Something I became addicted to.
“The first time I won a competition, I thought: “Being the champion feels nice. Let me have more of it!”
He has admitted work comes before everything, telling The Times: “I’m such a workaholic, I don’t really do holidays. I’ve never been on a mates’ break.”
Emma says: “Ultimately, there’s no way you can win in your field unless you’re willing to sacrifice everything [else].
“It’s not just about wanting to succeed. Winning his first competition – he realised what it felt like for everyone to notice him.
“For that little boy, who struggled with others’ attitudes to see that he was somebody now… It felt good and he got the validation of his peers. That’s very alluring for anybody.
“But the sacrifice to being brilliant, to being an absolute star… are relationships, your time, your opportunity to spend time with friends…
“Because you are sacrificing all of that to achieve whatever you want to achieve the end goal.”
‘Petrified’ on first Strictly show
That win led to Giovanni’s illustrious career on BBC’s Strictly, which began in 2015 when he was paired with Coronation Street star Georgia May Foot, making it all the way to the final in his first season.
Over the course of nearly a decade, the dancer made it to the final four times, winning once with partner Rose Ayling-Ellis in 2021, and he holds the record for most 10s ever awarded on the show – a total of 98.
It wasn’t an easy journey to get there though – with the Italian barely speaking English before he moved here.
He said: “I had three months to become fluent enough to speak on live TV and coach my celebrity partner.
“On that first show, I was petrified.”
Giovanni needed an earpiece throughout his first series of Strictly so an Italian speaker could translate for him, although he quickly picked it up.
Emma says: “When you join Strictly, the job is to win. You’re showcasing your talent as well as enabling [your partner’s talent].
“Not speaking English and needing help with interpretation – it takes him back to being 14 and feeling isolated… and somehow in spite of that, he [went on to] win.
“He is going to treat people with the belief they want the same [as him]. He will look at a dance partner in a competition… and think ‘you’re doing this because you want to win’.
“He’s not treating them any differently to how he’d treat himself, and in fact, he’s using the only blueprint he has for winning.
“Unfortunately… if you don’t have a highly resilient mindset and the belief system that’s conducive to that, obviously that’s not going to [match] with the way you’d respond.
“He [might] be doing what he believes to be ‘correct’ to win, because he wants to make another person a winner, as he is, to give them what he experienced.
“If you speak to any professional athlete or dancer about their coaching experience they will always tell you it’s come with incredible challenges.
“Ultimately that can be very challenging, especially if you’ve gone on the show not to win, but to [experience it].
“It’s two psychological experiences colliding.”
Family ‘100 per cent behind him’
Despite the criticism, Giovanni doesn’t have to question the support he has from his family, who he financially supports, and, according to his fiercely protective sister Angela are “100 per cent behind him and nothing will change that”.
Speaking from Palermo, where he is originally from, his sister Angela told MailOnline: ‘Giovanni will always have our support, he is family and there’s nothing else to say.
“The whole family is behind him, mum, dad, me and everyone else, whatever he says is the truth and we support him with all our strength.”
After her wedding, Angela touchingly wrote afterwards of her brother: “That pain in the a*** has become a man – a wonderful man. I love you my little brother. You are my life.”
His dad also previously said among all the furore: ‘My son is a really nice, polite and respectful boy.
“He always had good results with different partners and he has never had problems with them.”
Giovanni Pernice Strictly scandal timeline
October 2023: Amanda abruptly withdraws from Strictly having already missed one live show. Her departure is announced in a vague BBC statement that ‘wishes her the best’.
Giovanni posts a short message on social media addressing the exit, which read: “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 then shares her own farewell statement on Instagram thanking co-stars but failing to mention Gio.
Giovanni’s dad Piero insists there were no signs of a fall out and the pairing could have gone all the way. He praised his son as kind and polite.
November 2023: Giovanni is reportedly gutted by the situation and is considering his Strictly future as questions are raised about his conduct.
January 2024: Amanda’s PTSD diagnosis comes to light and she demands CCTV from rehearsals to prove that Giovanni’s training methods weren’t acceptable.
The BBC issues a statement defending its duty of care to contestants, insisting it takes any claims of wrongdoing very seriously.
The Corporation stands by its man after emergency meeting
March 2024: Giovanni publicly states he has no intention of leaving Strictly in a TV interview with close pal Anton du Beke.
Ranvir Singh and Laura Whitmore enter the picture. Allegedly the two celebs, who were both previously partnered with Giovanni on Strictly, didn’t feel the BBC took their issues with his methods seriously enough.
The pair have a closed meeting with Amanda where tears are said to be shed.
May 2024: We reveal Giovanni is leaving the programme after having talks with show bosses
He leaves the country with girlfriend Molly Brown on holiday
The BBC launches an internal investigation after three complainants instruct lawyers. A source describes it as a “nightmare situation”.
Finding ‘the right one’
Finally, it seems his love for his field has, as Emma suggests, had a knock-on impact on his personal life too, and his ability to find love.
While he’s currently loved-up with supportive model girlfriend Molly Brown, he has admitted his career has meant romance has been “impossible” sometimes.
On Spencer Matthews’ Big Fish podcast he previously said: “It’s impossible sometimes, but that’s the reason why most of the dance couples are together, because it’s either this or nothing.
“I do believe that behind a big man there is an even bigger woman, which means that if a woman understands what I want and what I want to achieve then she will be the right one.”