Giovanni Pernice kisses ex-Strictly partner as she supports him after Amanda Abbington row
Giovanni Pernice has been supported by his former Strictly Come Dancing partner Michelle Visage after his partnership with Amanda Abbington sparked controversy.
Giovanni Pernice is getting support from his former Strictly Come Dancing partner, amid a row surrounding his 2023 partnership with Amanda Abbington. Amanda, who is 52 years old, claimed she suffered PTSD after quitting Strictly last year.
She left the show citing "medical reasons". Now, it's been said that she's got a top lawyer to get her training videos from the BBC.
Today, Giovanni showed on Instagram that Michelle Visage, whom he danced with before, is backing him up. He shared a clip where he gives Michelle, 55, a kiss on the cheek.
He explained that his usual dance partner, Lauren Oakley, couldn't be in his show, Let Me Entertain You. Then he gave Michelle a peck as she said, "I'm in."
They were also hanging out with famous friend Hannah Waddingham while they all attended the Royal Television Society Awards.
Giovanni called her his "dance partner for the night". Hannah, 49, then made a joke, saying: "I feel like you're all going to be underwhelmed by my contribution."
The video comes after rumours that the BBC isn't sure if they should give Giovanni a celebrity partner in the new Strictly Come Dancing series starting in September.
A source told The Sun: "Bosses are undecided about whether or not they will give Gio a partner, just to take the heat off him. He's still very much loved by all the head honchos."
"But the big cheeses are wondering if it might be tough to find him a partner, given the reports about his harsh teaching style and the fact anyone who's paired with him next will have to answer questions about his behaviour.
"The spotlight will be on them from day one, which is a lot to take as well as the pressure of the show. Unless they can find someone who specifically asks for him, it could be tricky."
Michelle, who danced with Giovanni on Strictly in 2019, talked about his way of training after Amanda left the show in October.
She admitted he was the "toughest pro on the show" but said she liked his strict approach.
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Talking on This Morning last year, she said: "I don't like gossip, so I'm not here to gossip, but what I can say from my experience was yes, he's tough. He's probably the toughest pro there is.
"I wanted that. So it depends, some people can handle that, some people don't want to handle that. I wanted that."
Michelle also said: "We fought every day, and it was for good reason because we got to where we wanted to be, we looked beautiful together."
A BBC spokesperson said of the reports surrounding Amanda and Giovanni: "The BBC offers a comprehensive range of support to all individuals taking part in our shows.
"Strictly Come Dancing has always taken duty of care incredibly seriously and there is a constant dialogue between senior members of the production team and the contestants to ensure any concerns are addressed swiftly."