Inside the allegations against Strictly’s Giovanni Pernice

How much difference can two years make? In December 2021, Giovanni Pernice was one half of arguably the most popular partnership in Strictly Come Dancing history, alongside actress Rose Ayling-Ellis. The duo won the glitter ball that year and their silent Couple’s Choice dance won a Bafta. Richard Osman tweeted at the time: “If social media makes you despair about humanity and think we’ve suddenly become an evil and divisive society, just #Gogglebox watch Rose and Giovanni on Strictly.”

It seems like a long time ago now. It’s been a tumultuous week for Pernice, with what appears to be a mounting crisis for the 33-year-old dancer. It was learned that he resigned this week Definitely – though neither the dancer nor the BBC have confirmed the exit – and law firm Carter-Ruck contacted the company about “numerous serious complaints” about his alleged behavior while filming the show.

The BBC again did not comment. Responding to the allegations, Pernice, who is said to have agreed with the law firm Schillings, made the following statement on Instagram: “My dear fans, you will be as surprised as I am by the allegations made about my dance teaching methods in the media this week.

“Of course, I reject any suggestion of abusive or threatening behavior and look forward to clearing my name. Those who follow my journey Definitely Come Dance They will know that I have been passionate and competitive over the last decade. No one is more ambitious about my dance partners than I am.

“I always strive to help them become the best dancers they can be,” she continued. “It always came from a place of love and a desire to win for me and my dance partners.”

News of Pernice’s departure was followed by a coin toss and reports emerged that Strictly’s professional dancers were “deeply concerned” about the lack of psychological assessments of the show’s celebrity contestants before they signed up. According to daily mail, Definitely Unlike ITV, it doesn’t do extensive testing of its potential stars Dancing on Ice.

Television insiders point out that many other reality shows conduct rigorous evaluations to ensure potential cast members can handle challenging conditions. Sources close to some sources Definitely professionals have reportedly expressed concern that they could face accusations from their celebrity partners should difficulties arise in these intense circumstances. Of course, there is a similar concern about whether adequate psychological care is provided to professional dancers, who are subject to significant public attention and scrutiny.

Pernice’s latest partner is actress Amanda Abbington Definitely, left last year’s series after five weeks for personal reasons and did not appear in the live finale. He thanked him in his Instagram post. Definitely He did not specifically mention his professional partner in his team. Abbington has since reportedly suffered from PTSD from the time he trained with his “militant” dance partner. Sun He reported that he was among the contestants who instructed the lawyers. Pernice’s former partner Laura Whitmore also spoke about her unhappiness during her time on the show.

Definitely pro Luba Mushtuk performed in Pernice’s stage shows. “I started dancing with her when I joined the Strictly family in 2016,” she said. Dance Times In 2018. “We started choreographing and doing some tricks together. We felt like it really worked dance-wise and we started the tour. We are really great friends. We are like brother and sister: we argue; We are having so much fun. We just have a very special relationship.”

Outside DefinitelyBurn the Floor dancer Korina Travis, 29, who has performed with Pernice at special events, said in response to a comment on Instagram: “I’ve known her for years as a fellow contestant and she’s done terrible things for me. I won’t talk about my experiences with her, but the world’s I’m happy for him to see it for what it really is. I’ll leave it at that.

One of his former partners responded to his interview request. “The episode with Giovanni is in the past,” he said, “and I would like it to stay that way.”

The resulting story proved to be extremely divisive. There’s no way of knowing exactly what happened without walking into the room or watching the BBC footage. Perhaps that’s why the majority of Pernice’s former celebrity partners on Strictly have remained silent on the issue, although Debbie McGee, a former dancer herself, posted on Instagram in January: “Giovanni and I had the best time on Strictly.”

The show’s other professional dancers also remained largely silent. Former Definitely champion Stacey Dooley did not want to dwell on the issue when asked on BBC Breakfast. “What I want to say more generally is that I hope all the women involved are OK,” she said. “Actually, apart from that, I think in my personal experience, it’s a slippery slope to not believe women when they come up and say certain things.”

The dancer received intense support from Pernice’s mostly female fans. With 1.1 million followers on Instagram, roughly the same number as his BBC show, Giovanni has a massive fan base and keeps a busy schedule outside of Strictly, with his annual stage shows as well as touring as a duo with Anton Du Beke. . The duo also appeared recently Anton and Giovanni’s Adventures in SpainHowever, there are rumors that travel programs have also been cancelled.

Miho Charles, Definitely Giovanni’s admirer and student has nothing but praise for his teacher. “Giovanni would never criticize your inadequacies,” he says. “He suggests options and always praises us… I find him very hard-working, dedicated, very funny, honest, [he] He keeps his promises, [is a] A friendly, loving, thoughtful, passionate, enjoyable, hard-working and beautiful person. “He is one of the most amazing teachers.”

However, due to intense time pressure and an audience of millions, tutoring a celebrity on Strictly is even riskier. The Sicilian dancer, who joined the show in 2015, also made no secret of the fact that she was the taskmaster. Shortly after their time together, Pernice praised McGee’s dedication and work ethic. “He listened to everything I taught him,” she added excitedly, “and he was repeating and repeating and repeating; that’s what made the dance so beautiful.”

Pernice also made no secret of the fact that she was extremely competitive. “It’s very, very competitive,” he said. Dance Times After winning with Ayling-Ellis in 2022. “I always wanted to win because it was so close; I’ve finished second many times without getting the glitterball.

“I gave this to my mom and dad,” he added. “I promised them that if I won the sparkly ball, I would give it to them, so that’s what I did. They live in Sicily, they’re in the living room, so they can see him every day.” On the mantel? “Yes, next to Jesus Christ,” he joked.

The dance world is famously hot. I’ll never forget interviewing the West End choreographer on a Zoom call during the pandemic. When I told him how friendly the choreographers and dancers were, he told me firmly: “Look, not everyone is nice.” “Dancers are very emotional,” said former world professional ballroom champion Domen Krapez. “We are not businessmen. We must protect the field and show our emotions. And of course, sometimes emotions come out too much and maybe they don’t sit well with the other person. This could be a bit problematic.”

In the last decade, there has been at least one fight between female dancers at the British Open Championships at Blackpool Dance Festival. DefinitelyWhile head judge Shirley Ballas spoke out against bullies in the dance world, she also repeated an anecdote about Mel Giedroyc’s show unforgivable about punching a woman with whom he was said to have been in a relationship

Many in the ballroom have witnessed couples fighting or raised voices, even the occasional slap or chair being thrown across the room during rehearsals. Of course this is not the norm and should not be acceptable, but there is a darker side to the dance and to some extent there is a conspiracy of silence around it. It’s hard to know if that’s what’s going on now or if it’s just a matter of everyone waiting for the legal investigation to discover what really happened.

The BBC has been contacted for comment