Giovanni Pernice has been having an ‘absolutely horrendous’ time after facing accusations of ‘abuse’ on Strictly Come Dancing, sources claim.
The BBC show will return to screens tonight following months of turmoil after Giovanni’s former dance partner, Amanda Abbington accused him of ‘bullying’ and ‘abusive’ behaviour.
The claims prompted a three-month internal investigation into the alleged incident, though the BBC has yet to be release the findings to the public, but a friend of Giovanni, 34, has opened up about how the claims have affected the star, stating they have left the professional dancer in limbo.
Giovanni, the series’ longest-serving male dancer after joining in 2014, denied all allegations against him but still decided to leave Strictly and return to Italy where he has signed on to compete in Ballando con le Stelle (Dancing with the Stars).
His friends have called the move ‘sweet revenge’ and claim it will be a ‘lovely boost for him’ after a difficult few months.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, a close friend said: ‘He is so excited that he can keep on dancing and what makes it all the more lovely is that it will be in his home country. [The past few months have been] absolutely horrendous for Gio. He has been stuck in limbo. This will be a lovely boost for him.’
It seems the dancer has gold on his mind as well, with the friend claiming Giovanni and his 43-year-old actress and singer dance partner, Bianca Guaccero, are ‘getting along great’ and are ‘really hoping’ to win the series.
The friend continued to say: ‘I guess you could look at it as a kind of sweet revenge. He was adored by Strictly viewers, yet he has gone thanks to Amanda’s claims – but, in his mind, it is all Italy’s gain.’
They added that it is ‘his way of moving on from the whole sorry situation.’
Giovanni revealed his TV comeback to fans earlier this month with a post on Instagram: ‘I’m delighted to announce that from next week I will be joining the cast of @ballandoconlestelle – the Italian Dancing with the Stars. I can’t wait to get started and to get back to dancing for all of you! Thank you for all of your continued support!’ he wrote alongside a video.
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In the clip, he said he’d spent a couple of weeks with his family in Portofino and was now ready to get to work.
‘Hopefully, I will create some new magic on the dance floor,’ he said with a smile.
‘I’m very excited. I’m very very happy about it. Now I have to do the same thing again as there’s an Italian audience now.’
Ballando con le Stelle, which translates to Dancing with the Stars, launched in 2005 – one year after Strictly Come Dancing.
The series is filmed in a theatre at the RAI Auditorium at the Foro Italico in Rome and features Giada Lini, the wife of former Strictly professional Graziano di Prima, as one of the professional dancers.
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Strictly Come Dancing airs at 7.20 pm on September 14, on BBC One and iPlayer.
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