Giovanni Pernice BACKED by Strictly dance partner who breaks ranks to publicly support under-fire star
GIOVANNI Pernice has been supported by a former celebrity dance partner following his recent career troubles.
Strictly dance pro Giovanni is currently being probed by the BBC into his conduct during training after three former partners made complaints against him.
However, as Giovanni vows to clear his name, he has made efforts to ignore the swirling drama around him.
Instead, his latest Instagram post, uploaded three days ago, urged fans to vote for him and Anton Du Beke’s TV show for the National Television Awards.
Next to the video, which sees him promise Strictly judge Anton that he will get his initials tattooed on his wrist if they win, he wrote: “Let’s see if I can keep my promise… vote now”.
Debbie McGee, who was partnered with Giovanni in 2017, wrote: “On it” alongside a heart emoji.
The simple display of support comes after it’s believed all of Giovanni’s former partners have been approached as part of the probe.
Together, the pair made it through to the series finale, coming in second place.
The Sun revealed last week that three of the star’s nine former partners have made official complaints to the BBC.
To of which are believed to be Amanda Abbington, who partnered with Gio in the 2023 series, and Laura Whitmore, who was his celeb partner in 2016.
He has since vowed to clear his name in a statement posted publicly on his socials.
“To my dear fans, I reject any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour, and I look forward to clearing my name,” he wrote.
“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,” he continued. “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. Thank you all once again for your continued love and support!”
Since the allegations came to light, Gio was dropped from this year’s Strictly Come Dancing and he’s hired a team of top lawyers to help him clear his name.
In a further blow The Sun revealed his ‘Adventures In…’ series with judge Anton du Beke, has been shelved in light of the investigation, despite it being up for an NTA.
The entire Strictly team have been in a cloak of silence over the claims as the allegations continue to be investigated, with only two breaking ranks.
Despite this, Anton, one of the judges on the show, has continued to promote his upcoming tour with Giovanni, which kicks off in June.
Giovanni's Strictly Partnerships and Rankings
Giovanni has created some memorable moments on the show - landing in the finale four times and winning once. Here are all his partners and how well they performed in the competition
2015 – Georgia May Foote: placed 2nd
2016 – Laura Whitmore: placed 9th
2017 – Debbie McGee: placed 2nd
2018 – Faye Tozer: played 2nd
2019 – Michelle Visage: placed 7th
2020 – Ranvir Singh: placing 5th
2021 – Rose Ayling-Ellis: winning series
2022 – Richie Anderson: placing 14th
2023 – Amanda Abbington: withdrew due to injury
Debbie is the only celeb partner to have broken rank to show any kind of support behind the Sicilian host.
Lisa Armstrong, the Strictly make-up artist, and former wife of Ant McPartlin, Lisa Armstrong, still often interacts positively with his posts.
Now that Giovanni has stepped away form the current series an investigation is thought to be underway, as the Beeb analyze hours of rehearsal footage to aide their inquiry.
Jamie Laing, who appeared in both the 2017 and 2018 series, also ‘liked’ his statement in an apparent show of backing.