Shirley Ballas has said she hopes an investigation into Giovanni Pernice will get ‘resolved and sorted’ as she continues to defend him.
The BBC has launched an investigation into the 33-year-old professional dancer, who won’t be returning for the upcoming season, after he faced accusations by former partners including Amanda Abbington and Laura Whitmore about his behaviour and teaching methods.
It was previously reported bosses of the long-running series were concerned the matter could overshadow the upcoming 20th anniversary season and were considering ‘gagging the cast’.
However, head judge Shirley, 63, has repeatedly defended him publicly.
But after being questioned about the ongoing investigation, Shirley has said she is now ‘staying in her lane’.
‘I’ve known Giovanni for 10 years, and he’s a good friend of mine. But I’m not involved on any side of that [the investigation],’ she said.
‘I think before I speak, and I stay in my lane, which is ballroom dancing.
‘I think everybody goes into Strictly with the best will in the world to entertain the country,’ she added when speaking to The Sun.
Shirley, who has become known for having a no-nonsense approach to teaching, said that everyone in the dance world was competitive and wants to win.
‘I can’t comment on what the thoughts are [of the professionals when teaching the celebrities]. They are doing their thing, but I’m not privy to that – I don’t see that. But in my particular world of ballroom dancing, everybody is very competitive.’
She said that while teachers didn’t want to ‘kill the enthusiasm’ of their students or the ‘thought that they can be the Glitterball champion’, sometimes ‘words can be cruel and people deliver them in not a great way’.
She then admitted while she could be ‘super-strict’ when offering advice to contestants on Strictly, she was ‘always searching for the best way I can bring great constructive criticism’.
Speaking to the publication Shirley also said she had ‘no idea’ if Giovanni might ever return to Strictly, which he had joined in 2015.
Shirley said she doesn’t ‘get involved in the process’ but that she hoped ‘things will get resolved and sorted’.
For the past few months, Giovanni faced accusations by former contestants, including Amanda, who called him ‘nasty’ after she Strictly after five weeks last year.
However, Giovanni has defended himself on social media over the claims, saying he ‘rejects any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour, adding: ‘I look forward to clearing my name.’
Hot Property Picks from Metro
-
What I Own: We swapped a difficult landlord for our vibrant £460,000 London flat
-
What I Own: We saved for 10 years to buy our first home in West Sussex for £415,000
-
I am worried about housing – what have Labour promised voters?
-
Get paid to live on this idyllic European island – but there's a catch
-
The hidden ‘Cotswolds of London’ is just 40 minutes from the centre
Strictly Come Dancing returns to the BBC later this year.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
