Giovanni Pernice axed from Strictly as professional line-up confirmed
Strictly Come Dancing has confirmed that Giovanni Pernice won’t be returning to the popular dancing competition after sharing the line-up of professional dancers who will be taking part in the upcoming 2024 series.
MORE: Inside all of Giovanni Pernice's former Strictly partnerships: From rumoured fallouts to romances
It appears that the show has axed the 2022 champion after several reports of unacceptable behaviour on set. HELLO! Has reached out for more information.
The show has confirmed that the dancing pros who will be returning are Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Graziano Di Prima, Amy Dowden, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Gorka Marquez, Luba Mushtuk, Jowita Przystal, Johannes Radebe, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Michelle Tsiakkas and Vito Coppola.
They also confirmed that Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel-Horwood would all return as judges for the 20th anniversary series. Speaking about the show’s return, executive producer Sarah James said: “This year Strictly marks two decades of entertaining the nation and we will be back with a bang in September as we celebrate in style with our incredible team both on and off screen.”
Giovanni has previously denied any wrongdoing following Amanda Abbington’s claims that his behaviour was unacceptable in the show behind the scenes. In a statement, he said: “ “To my dear fans, You will be as surprised as I am that allegations have been made about my dance teaching methods in the media this week. Of course, I reject any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour, and I look forward to clearing my name.
"Of course, I reject any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour, and I look forward to clearing my name. "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.
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“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!”
Amanda has since spoken about the situation, telling the Daily Mail: “I asked for [the dance rehearsals] to be recorded, it was me. Giovanni is nasty. He was awful to a few of us, a group of us.”
She added: “I went to producers early on and told them about Giovanni… You don’t understand how awful this all is. Giovanni's fans have started trolling me now. I have had to come off social media and I’m getting death threats.”
