Over the weekend, a shocking development took place in a story that had been bubbling in the background for months. That was reported Sherlock star Amanda Abbington, Good morning Great Britain host Ranvir Singh, and former Love Island presenter Laura Whitmore had met for a ‘tearful summit’ about their respective ‘difficult experiences’ of working Come strictly dance pro Giovanni Pernice.
A source, who claimed Pernice is “known for being intense in training,” said The sun: “They met in person to share their experiences. Their meeting was emotional but heartwarming. They now know that they are there to support each other after their difficult times with Giovanni. Tears flowed. There is every possibility that all three could move on and formally complain 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 was one of them StrictThe group of professional dancers since 2015 had just defended themselves on a podcast, after months of reports of a feud with Abbington, who collaborated with Pernice on Strict 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 churning.
Three months later, in January, reports emerged that Abbington was seeking legal advice and had requested video recordings of her practice sessions with Pernice. The following week, Abbington stated that she had been diagnosed with “mild PTSD” after competing on the show.
Speaking Only by invitation of the mirror podcast on Saturday, Pernice said: “It was a shame that [Abbington] had to leave for medical reasons, because I think we could have gone to the extreme.”
The friendly pro – who holds the Guinness World Record for Jive kicks and moves, performing 55 in 30 seconds – has gone a long way before. He won the competition in 2021 with Rose Ayling-Ellis and was a finalist five times during his nine years on the show. Pernice said his reputation as a “perfectionist” comes from “caring” for the celebrity he works with, adding: “In any part of the world, if [you’re] As professional dancers, we have to make sure these people look as good as possible on Saturday night. And when we finally get good scores, I look back and say, “I did a great job.”
Even before the “tearful summit,” we knew that Abbington wasn’t the first person who seemed to be on the sharp end of Pernice’s perfectionism. There are no specific details surrounding the allegations about his behavior, but they have been publicly hinted at before, with Whitmore, who teamed up with Pernice for the 2016 series, previously writing about her time on Strict: “I was placed with a dance partner who made me feel extremely uncomfortable – and I ended up feeling broken, crying every day. And by the end I was truly broken, both mentally and physically.
The Irish presenter was Pernice’s second ever celebrity couple Strict. His first partner was Corrie‘s Georgia May Foote in 2015 – making his arrival at the show the first time he had ever been in London. He has since told how, because he didn’t speak English when he joined 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 and moved to Bologna to live alone and pursue his ambitions of becoming a professional dancer. He trained at a top school in the Italian city, specializing in Latin dance. “I was basically living on my own and I really had to grow up fast,” he wrote The times.
He has spoken a lot about the difficulty of being alone so much when he was young, tellingly The guard: “It starts to feed on itself – this lifestyle of being alone can push you into a more focused mindset. There are no distractions. Then came the experience of winning – something I became addicted to. The first time I won a match, I thought, ‘Being a champion feels good. Let me have more of it!’”
After leaving school, he became an award-winning artist, with his biggest honor being the top prize at the Italian Open Championship in 2012. Three years later he became Strict The adventure began and he now holds the record for the most 10’s ever awarded on the show, with a total of 98. His win with Strict’‘s very first deaf participant, EastEnders actor Rose Ayling-Ellis, was historic. She said she enjoyed dancing with him because, as an Italian, he is “very direct”: “When they talk, they don’t hesitate or use metaphors because that’s just confusing for the deaf.” The duo went on to win a Bafta TV award for their spectacular silent dance, universally celebrated as one of the most powerful, groundbreaking moments in the show’s twenty-year history.
Pernice describes herself as a ‘workaholic’ The times: “I’m such a workaholic, I don’t really take holidays. I’ve never had a friend break before.’ And he is certainly a perfectionist. He’s previously opened up about Spencer Matthews’ Big fish podcast, about finding it difficult to balance romance with his career. “Sometimes it’s impossible,” he said, “but that’s why most dancing couples are together, because it’s this or nothing.” He added that dancing puts a “big strain” on his ability to have a “normal” relationship, but insisted: “I really believe that behind a big man there is an even bigger woman, which means that if a woman understands what I want and what I want to achieve, then she will be the right one. In recent years, Pernice has had relationships with Love Island‘s Maura Higgins, Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts, his former Strict partner Georgia May Foote and fellow pro Jowita Przystal.
Speak with The guard on how disciplined he has had to be in his career, he said: “The journey to get where I am today has taken hard work and a lot of sacrifices, but it has been worth it. From those teenage years onwards I had matches every week.” He was so busy training that he missed countless Christmases and birthdays over the years.
Aside from Pernice’s work ethic, Strict fans know the dancer as a brave, unflappable presence. Debbie McGee enjoyed working with him in 2017 – in January she supported him, posting on Instagram that they had the “best time” together.
But after the scorching headlines, it’s strange to see him at a party with his guy Strict pro Anton du Beke in their new BBC travel show Adventures in Spain. It’s awkward timing for the BBC, but the company promoted the series – which sees Pernice suffer from vertigo on the Caminito del Rey and banter with du Beke – heavily on social media on Monday.
What really happens between Pernice and his famous partners during rehearsals? Is he too tough? Or just directly? Whatever the answer, this story is not over yet.