HAVING starred on Strictly Come Dancing for nearly a decade, some of Giovanni Pernice’s closest friends are people he has met on the show.
But, with a trio of his former dance partners taking action against him as part of a BBC investigation, his inner circle has been ripped apart.
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Laura Whitmore, 39 — Gio’s partner in 2016 — and Amanda Abbington, 52, who this weekend told pals how Giovanni stamped on her in training before she quit in October, are two of the celebs who’ve complained about him.
And now, it seems close friend Rose Ayling-Ellis– who he won Strictly with in 2021 – is standing by the women rather than Giovanni, who has now quit the dance competition.
Brand and culture expert Nick Ede has also told us how Gio’s pal and co-star Anton Du Beke, and many of the other Strictly pros have been left in a difficult position and may feel they have to distance themselves from the Italian stallion in order to stay in BBC producers’ good books.
Tellingly, no one from Strictly has spoken out publicly or even liked Giovanni’s post on Instagram, denying any wrongdoing.
Nick tells us: “It’s a Catch-22 situation for the professional dancers as they have all been on a long journey with Giovanni and dancers are all very respectful of each other and encourage each other like a family.
“However, they also have to make sure that they are not associating themselves with anything negative and potentially damaging, so need to be cautious.
He added: “It’s very difficult for everybody. Everybody needs to make sure that they are still on the show, and are not complicit with the various things that have been going on.”
“They need to make sure that they think about their own personal brand, and I suspect they’ll be concentrating on making sure they do the best job and are looking after the talent they are paired with in the most perfect way.
“BBC and professional dancers will have a duty of care to the talent who are going to be on the show, and their main objective will now be to make sure everybody is happy on Strictly.”
We take a look inside Gio’s inner circle and reveal who’s standing by him… and who has remained silent.
Anton Du Beke
Giovanni and Strictly judge Anton are due to be touring together later this year, after a successful sellout show, Him & Me, last summer.
And last year, the pair landed a travel show together, Anton & Giovanni’s Adventures in Sicily, in which Gio took Anton to his hometown to show him around.
Explaining the reason why he went with Anton on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, Gio said: “I think – well, I know why him.
“It’s because genuinely, he’s one of my best, if not my best friend.
“We’ve received so many messages about the show and the thing everybody says is that it’s true friendship. It’s not one of those things you have to put on for TV.
“The whole concept of the show started when we did a theatre show together and we genuinely had a good time.
“When I arrived in this country eight years ago, he was the only person who really looked after me.”
Anton has also called Gio a “dear friend” in the past, so the feeling is mutual.
However, expert Nick says, with the investigation ongoing, it’s very likely Anton will be considering distancing himself from Giovanni, due to being in such a difficult position.
He says: “Giovanni is so embedded with Anton and their spin-off show was actually very successful.
“But I’m sure he’ll be feeling the pressure to continue with his friend or ditch him for the sake of his lucrative judging role on one of the biggest shows on UK TV.
“He has to think about his relationship with the BBC as well as the other professional dancers on Strictly, and that’s going to be a really difficult thing for Anton to do.”
Kai Widdrington
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When Kai Widdrington first joined the cast of Strictly in 2021, he lived with Giovanni in London.
And talking about getting to work and live with his friend at the time, Kai said on BBC Breakfast: “I get to dance alongside my flatmate, what more could you want? But he’s delighted, he was wishing me well.
“It should be fun sharing a stage with one of your best mates. So that’s an added bonus definitely.”
However, Kai hasn’t publicly defended his friend or liked Giovanni’s post, in which he states: “I reject any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour, and I look forward to clearing my name.”
Aljaž Skorjanec
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Aljaž Skorjanec is another Strictly pro who Giovanni got close to over the years.
The pair went on holiday to Portofino together in 2020, where they stayed at the luxurious Belmond Hotel Splendido, and ate loads of seafood.
And when Aljaž quit Strictly in 2022, Gio told the Express: “ He has been an amazing part of the show for nine years and it is his choice to leave the show.
“He will definitely be missed.”
But neither Aljaž or his wife, Janette Manrara– who hosts Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two – have spoken out in defence of Gio.
Kevin Clifton and Stacey Dooley
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One former Strictly pro who seemingly has made his views very clear is Kevin Clifton.
The dancer – who quit the show after seven years in 2020 – has unfollowed Gio on Instagram.
Meanwhile, his partner Stacey Dooley– who he won Strictly with in 2018 – has shut down any suggestion that she and Giovanni are “friends”.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, she said: “What I would say is that I don’t have a friendship with Giovanni.
“I didn’t even have a working relationship with Giovanni and I haven’t been involved with that show for years, so it would probably be irresponsible of me to comment on that.
“What I would say, more broadly, is I hope all of the women involved are okay.
“Separate from this, in my personal experience, it’s a slippery slope not to believe women when they come forward and say certain things.
“But I just hope they’re okay.”
Speaking about Kevin, she added: “He’s pals with a lot of the pros but I don’t know enough about that incident to comment.”
Rose Ayling-Ellis
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Gio won Strictly in 2021 with former EastEnders star Rose Ayling-Ellis, and became a fan favourite thanks to their wonderful partnership.
Despite three of Giovanni’s former partners claiming he “bullied” them, and two more celebs considering whether to sue him, Rose had a very good relationship with Gio when she was paired with him, even praising his teaching methods.
Rose – who is deaf – said: “I started off finding dancing very confusing. It was a strange new skill. But Giovanni was so good. He listened and learnt a lot from me.
“We learnt very quickly that, if we were together, I could follow him.
“Trust is super important in dance and I’ve learnt that very quickly. I know Giovanni is always there to catch me and that’s what makes him so good at what he does!
“Thank you for not dropping me Gio, I appreciate that.”
Giovanni Pernice Strictly scandal timeline
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October 2023: Amanda abruptly withdraws from Strictly having already missed one live show. Her departure is announced in a vague BBC statement that ‘wishes her the best’.
Giovanni posts a short message on social media addressing the exit, which read: “Amanda… I am so sad we can’t continue but I am proud of what we achieved and I am sending you so much love.”
Amanda then shares her own farewell statement on Instagram thanking co-stars but failing to mention Gio.
Giovanni’s dad Piero insists there were no signs of a fall out and the pairing could have gone all the way. He praised his son as kind and polite.
November 2023: Giovanni is reportedly gutted by the situation and is considering his Strictly future as questions are raised about his conduct.
January 2024:Amanda’s PTSD diagnosis comes to light and she demands CCTV from rehearsals to prove that Giovanni’s training methods weren’t acceptable.
The BBC issues a statement defending its duty of care to contestants, insisting it takes any claims of wrongdoing very seriously.
The Corporation stands by its man after emergency meeting
March 2024: Giovanni publicly states he has no intention of leaving Strictly in a TV interview with close pal Anton du Beke.
Ranvir Singh and Laura Whitmore enter the picture. Allegedly the two celebs, who were both previously partnered with Giovanni on Strictly, didn’t feel the BBC took their issues with his methods seriously enough.
The pair have a closed meeting with Amanda where tears are said to be shed.
May 2024: We reveal Giovanni is leaving the programme after having talks with show bosses
He flees the country with girlfriend Molly Brown on holiday
The BBC launches an internal investigation after three complainants instruct lawyers. A source describes it as a “nightmare situation”.
They also remained close after, with Rose declaring: “”Our friendship is so special and lasting for sure.”
She visited Gio in Sicily, where she met up with him and Anton on their travel show, and even inspired Gio to learn British Sign Language.
He said: “I’m learning some BSL, a journey I started last year after being partnered with Rose, who is now a close friend.”
But Rose is now thinking about publicly distancing herself from her friend, amid the ongoing investigation.
A source told The Sun:“Rose is finding the whole situation really tough. She had a really great experience with Gio so is really shocked by it all.
“She of course believes what others are saying but she is just trying to not get involved. She won’t be speaking about it publicly.”
Molly Brown
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Giovanni and his girlfriend Molly Brown, 25, have only been dating since February, but she’s been standing by him, and has escaped the UK with him, to Madeira.
The couple were spotted cruising along the beautiful coast of the Portuguese island in a Mini Cooper convertible on Friday.
The pair had snaps taken to capture their getaway, which came days after a jaunt to Dubai, where they stayed in the £2,500-a-night Atlantis The Royal hotel.
They have been staying at a modern three-storey villa high in the hills of Madeira, with stunning views of the coast below.
There, Giovanni and Molly have been spotted diving in the swimming pool, enjoying a barbecue and toasting their trip with champagne on Friday – just hours after news broke that three of Giovanni’s former dance partners made “serious complaints” about his behaviour.
An onlooker told The Sun: “Gio seems to be having the time of his life with his beautiful girlfriend by his side.“They haven’t been able to keep their hands off each other.
“At one point, Gio and Molly were drinking glasses of champers and having plenty of pictures taken to capture their romantic break.
“Strictly and the BBC probe seem to be the last things on his mind at the moment.”
His parents
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Giovanni has revealed he supports his family back in Sicily financially.
Speaking on Anton & Giovanni’s Adventures in Sicily, he added: “So obviously there is a fear that if I stop, everyone else stops because of me.”
And his parents, Piero and Rosalda, have supported their son during his time in the spotlight too.
Speaking about his row with Amanda Abbington after she dramatically quit Strictly last year, they insisted he was “just doing his job”.
His dad told The Sun: “We are surprised by the fact she left the show because everything was going ok – we thought they could have won.”
He added: “My son is a really nice, polite and respectful boy.
“He always had good results with different partners and he has never had problems with them.”
Rosalda added: “They have to train for hours to get some results.
“Giovanni has just done what he had to do. He was just doing his job.”
Lisa Armstrong, Jamie Laing and Aldo Zilli
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In a long statement released on Instagram, Gio has denied the official complaints against him, stating in part that he “rejected any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour, and looked forward to clearing his name.”
He added: “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. 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!”
While Strictly stars have remained silent, fans and other celebs have shared messages and signals of support.
Among those liking the post is Lisa Armstrong, a make-up artist on Strictly and Ant McPartlin’s ex-wife, former Strictly star Jamie Laing, as well as chef Aldo Zilli.