Giovanni Pernice has been hit with new allegations that he left a fourth celebrity partner in tears, ahead of his crunch talks with Strictly Come Dancing bosses this week about his future on the show.
The dancer, 33, reportedly left Step’s Faye Tozer, 48, in tears after a heated clash backstage of spin-off show It Takes Two in 2018.
A source told The Sun how Giovanni’s ‘fiercely competitive’ nature left the pop star emotional and they butted heads during rehearsals.
Telling the publication: ‘They did often clash and she was in tears on It Takes Two’ She found how he spoke to her abrasive.’
Giovanni is already feuding with Amanda Abbington who quit the BBC series last year before accusing him of difficult behaviour during training and that her time in the competition left her with PTSD.
It was also reported that Amanda joined the Italian’s other former partners Ranvir Singh and Laura Whitmore for an ’emotional summit’ to ‘compare notes’ about their time working with him.
The Sun also reported that Giovanni would be meeting Strictly’s top brass on Thursday, saying the broadcaster was backing the dancer after not receiving any offical complaints against him.
‘He is an accomplished pro dancer and it’s expected he will be taking his place in the formal line-up when it’s announced later this month.’
MailOnline have contacted BBC, Giovanni and Faye’s reps for comment.
A source close to Amanda, Ranvir and Amanda told MailOnline: ‘They are very unhappy with the way the BBC are handling this.’
The insider continued: ‘It’s one thing saying they are standing by him, but they feel as if Giovanni is being promoted and pushed centre stage in a bid to make them go away and keep quiet. It’s a kick in the teeth.
‘One of the reasons they wanted to meet up was to try and work on a way forward because they have no intention of just backing down and letting this just fade away.
‘All three have been impacted in different ways by what happened and they’ve agreed to speak again about how best they can get something done about it because they are genuinely worried about want went on and the fact someone else could end up experiencing what they went through.
‘But right now there’s a feeling that Gio is pretty much untouchable – especially given he is so close to Anton who thinks the world of him and can’t believe the stuff he’s been hearing claimed about his mate.’
The comments come after BBC have shown their support for Giovanni by plugging his new prime time show with Anton Du Beke.
MailOnline’s Katie Hind reported earlier this week that Giovanni had up until now been agonisingly waiting to hear about his future due to Strictly boss Sarah James being on maternity leave.
A show insider told The Mail: ‘There’s a bit of chaos surrounding all this year’s show. Usually, there would be a decision made on the professional dancers by now but because the boss is off, and she is held in such high regard, everything has been put on hold.
‘No decisions would be made without her and it isn’t really okay to expect someone on maternity leave to get involved in work matters when they are off.
‘For Giovanni, it means he has to wait to see his fate. The BBC have backed him on this, they have had no complaint from Amanda and it has all become rather strange.
‘But he hasn’t put pen to paper yet. Giovanni, of course, wants to return. Why wouldn’t he?’
While Amanda hasn’t made any complaint against Giovanni her representative briefed a red top newspaper that she had asked the BBC for video footage of the pair’s training sessions.
Last week the dancer who won the show in 2021 with deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, broke his silence on working with Amanda.
He said: ‘It’s a shame because, in my opinion, she could have gone all the way. I am a perfectionist, 100 per cent, but it comes from a perspective of caring.
‘I think all of the professional dancers are in the same place. If you’re a professional dancer on one of these shows, you have to get these people looking the best they can on Saturday night.’
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
