Good Morning Britain’s Ranvir Singh appeared to take aim at the BBC over its handling of the Giovanni Pernice Strictly scandal.
The newsreader, who was partnered with Giovanni in 2020, today shared a news article on Instagram asking ‘why does it take CCTV footage for a woman to be believed?’ in relation to the shocking abuse US singer Cassie Ventura suffered at the hands of her ex-boyfriend P Diddy in 2016.
Shocking footage emerged last week showing the rapper, real name Sean Combs, kicking, stamping and dragging Cassie in a hotel corridor.
Prior to the leaking of the tape, Diddy, 54, denied the allegations and suggested Cassie was lying and looking for a payday.
He has since released a grovelling apology video in which he said he was “at rock bottom” at the time of the incident and now felt “disgusted” by his behaviour.
The apology has been widely blasted for lacking sincerity as well as the appropriate level of contrition for his actions.
The post’s headline could be interpreted as a nod to Strictly star Amanda Abbington’s pursuit of CCTV footage to bolster her case against former dance partner Giovanni.
Actress Amanda quit the show last October and was diagnosed with mild post traumatic stress disorder she says was caused by Giovanni’s inappropriate training methods.
The BBC initially declined her request, however, following more pressure from Amanda and other past show stars who have complained about Giovanni, bosses are now trawling through hundreds of hours of tapes as part of an investigation.
Meanwhile, Giovanni has hired top lawyers to help him clear his name.
The Sicilian dancer has recruited defamation big hitters Schillings to fight his corner against his accusers’ legal rivals Carter Ruck.
Sources close to Gio said: “Giovanni remains adamant he’s done nothing wrong bar being a perfectionist, and a hard taskmaster.
“He wants to hear what allegations these claimants have against him but is adamant he will clear his name.
“The only substantive claim against him to date is that he stomped on someone’s foot — he believes this is an occupational hazard and he’s done nothing intentionally wrong.
“He’s come out all guns blazing so it’ll be fascinating to see what evidence the other camp have.”
They added: “But Carter Ruck wouldn’t have taken on this case if they didn’t believe any wrongdoing was involved.
“Whatever happens, the BBC is under huge pressure to ensure this mess never, ever happens again if the show is to remain on air in its current form.”
In a statement, a spokesman for Giovanni confirmed Schillings, which, apart from the royals, has represented JK Rowling, Brad Pitt, Naomi Campbell and Liz Hurley, is acting for him. The statement also confirmed for the first time the BBC is investigating.
The spokesman for Giovanni said: “Schillings is engaging with BBC Studios to provide it with Giovanni’s evidence to strongly rebut the claims being made about him and confirm that Giovanni is fully cooperating with that process.
“As with any reality TV show, when decisions are being made for entertainment reasons, the producers have a duty of care to all participants.”
The claims against Giovanni, 33, are the biggest scandal to rock Strictly in its 20-year history.
Last week The Sun revealed Giovanni had quit the show after nine successful years on the programme.
At least three women – Amanda Abbington, Laura Whitmore and one, as yet, unnamed partner – have employed Carter Ruck to make their case heard.
The 10 big questions Strictly bosses must answer about Giovanni Pernice scandal
1. Will you publicly confirm you are investigating the behaviour of Giovanni while working on Strictly? If not, why not?
2. Who is conducting the inquiry — is it an internal Strictly team or an external person/team/body?
3. Why wasn’t an investigation launched sooner, given Amanda first made the allegations publicly months ago?
4. Did you tell Giovanni he couldn’t return to Strictly during any probe? Is this why he quit?
5. Will you interview Giovanni in person, and give him the chance to respond in full to all the allegations against him?
6. If he is deemed to have behaved inappropriately, will you bar him from appearing on Strictly again?
7. Have you asked other ex-partners of Gio to talk? If so, how many, and when did you ask them?
8. Will you be working with him on other productions while any investigation happens?
9. Have any other women approached you from outside of the Strictly sphere with complaints about Gio?
10. Were any enquiries made after other contestants spoke out about struggling with him as a partner? If not, why not?
Earlier this week Giovanni staunchly defended himself following the news of the complaints against him on Strictly.
In a statement, which he posted on Instagram, Giovanni 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.
“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.”
In a further blow The Sun revealed yesterday his Adventures With series – with judge Anton du Beke – has been axed.