by Over the weekend, a story that had been simmering in the background for months took a terrible turn. It has been reported that Sherlock star Amanda Abbington, Good morning Wales host Ranvir Singh, and ex Island of Love presenter Laura Whitmore met for a “positive summit” about their respective “difficult experiences” working with them Strictly Come Dancing for Giovanni Pernice.
A source said, alleging that “Pernice is well aware that it was tough during training”. The sun: “They met in person to share their experiences. Their meeting was emotional but heartfelt. They now know that they are there to support each other after their difficult times with Giovanni. Tears were shed. There is every possibility that all three of them could take it further and make a formal complaint to the BBC, but for now they are comforting each other.” Pernice, Abbington, Singh, Whitmore and the BBC have so far declined to comment.
The 33-year-old Sicilian, who is one of StrictlyA cohort of professional dancers since 2015 has just defended itself on a podcast, following months of reports of a feud with Abbington, who was with Pernice on Strictly last year. Abbington quit the show in October, just five weeks into the 2023 series, citing “medical reasons” at the time. In her first Instagram post after her departure, she didn’t mention or thank Pernice at all, and the rumor mill started spinning.
Three months later, in January, reports broke that Abbington was seeking legal advice and that video recordings of his practice sessions with Pernice had been requested. The following week, Abbington said she was diagnosed with “mild PTSD” after taking part in the show.
Speaking of The Only Mirror was sent podcast on Saturday, Pernice said: “That was a shame [Abbington] we had to leave for medical reasons because I think, in my opinion, we could have gone all the way.”
The suave pro – who holds the Guinness World Record for Jive kicks and flicks, performing 55 in 30 seconds – has gone all the way before. He won the competition in 2021 with Rose Ayling-Ellis, and was in the final five times during his nine years on the show. Pernice said his reputation as “perfect” comes from “caring” for the celebrity he’s associated with, adding: “In every part of the world, if [you’re] a professional dancer, we need to get these people on Saturday night looking as good as they can. And if we get good scores at the end, I look back and say, ‘I did a great job.'”
Even before the “positive summit”, we knew that Abbington wasn’t the first to see Pernice’s perfectionism come to an abrupt end. No specific details have been made about allegations surrounding his behavior, but it has already been publicly referenced, with Whitmore, who was with Pernice for the 2016 series, writing about her previous time on. Strictly: “I was placed with a dance partner with whom I was very uncomfortable – and in the end I felt broken, I was crying every day. And I was really broken, mentally and physically, by the end.”
The Irish presenter was Pernice’s second ever celebrity pairing Strictly. It was his first party BoilerGeorgia May Foote in 2015 – when he came on the show it was the first time he had ever been to London. He has since spoken about how, because he didn’t speak English when he started and “didn’t understand anything”, he filmed the first season with a translator in his ear.
Born in Palermo, Sicily, in 1990, Pernice left home at the age of 14, moving to Bologna to live alone and pursue his ambitions of becoming a professional dancer. He trained at a high school in the Italian city, specializing in Latin dance. “I was living right by myself and had to grow up fast,” he wrote in The Rising.
He has said a lot about the difficulty of being alone so much when he was young, telling The Guardian: “It starts to feed on itself – this lifestyle of being alone can push you towards a more focused mindset. There are no distractions. Then came the experience of winning – which I became addicted to. The first time I won a competition, I thought: ‘It feels good to be a champion. Let me have more of it!’”
After leaving school, he went on to become an award-winning performer, his greatest honor being the top prize at the Italian Open in 2012. Three years later, his Strictly started the episode, and now holds the record for most 10s ever awarded to the show, with 98 in total. strictly’the first deaf contestant ever, EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, who was historical. She said she liked dancing with him because, as an Italian, he is “very direct”: “When they talk, they don’t ramble or use metaphors, because that just confuses people deaf.” The duo won a Bafta TV award for their stunning silent dance, which is universally celebrated as one of the most powerful and powerful moments in the show’s 20-year history.
Pernice described himself as a “workaholic”, writing in The Rising: “I’m such a workaholic, I don’t really take holidays. I never had a break with my friends.” And it’s definitely a perfectionist. He previously opened up, on Spencer Matthews’ Big Fish podcast, about how it was difficult to balance love with career. “It’s impossible sometimes,” he said, “but that’s why most couples dance together, because it’s either this or nothing.” He added that dancing puts “a lot of pressure” on his ability to have a “normal relationship”, but insisted: “I believe that behind a great man, a woman is even bigger, which means if a woman understands what me. I want and what I want to achieve then she will be the right one.” In recent years, Pernice has been in a relationship with Island of Love‘s Maura Higgins, Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts, ex Strictly partner Georgia May Foote and her colleague Jowita Przystal.
Speaking to The Guardian Speaking about how disciplined he has been in his career, he said: “The journey to where I am today has taken hard work and many sacrifices, but it has been worth it. From those teens onwards, I had competitions every week.” He has been trained so much that he has missed many Christmases and birthdays over the years.
Pernice’s work ethic aside, Strictly fans know the dancer as a dapper, unflappable presence. Debbie McGee enjoyed working with him in 2017 – in January she supported him by posting on Instagram that they had “the best times” together.
After the results headlines though, it’s strange to see him jolly with someone else Strictly pro Anton du Beke in his new BBC travel show Adventures in Spain. It’s terrible timing for the BBC, but the corporation was promoting the series – in which we see Pernice suffering from vertigo on the Caminito del Rey and gambling with du Beke – on its social media on Monday.
What really happens between Pernice and his famous partners in rehearsals? Is it too hard? Or just straight? Whatever the answer, this story is not over yet.
