Three of Giovanni Pernice’s former Strictly Come Dancing partners are believed to be furious, alleging he is ‘untouchable’ since the BBC has apparently put its backing behind him.
The professional dancer, 33, was most recently paired with Amanda Abbington on the BBC One competition; however, after she resigned, quarrel claims between the two surfaced.
While Giovanni has received encouragement from previous Strictly contestants, it has now been reported that Ranvir Singh and Laura Whitmore, with whom he paired in 2020 and 2016, respectively, have met Amanda to relate their own painful experiences working with him.
According to sources, the trio held a ’emotional summit’ and ‘compared notes’ on working with Giovanni, weeks after Amanda was said to be seeking legal counsel.
An insider said: ‘They are very unhappy with the way the BBC are handling this.’
They continued to MailOnline: ‘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.’
Laura, Ranvir, and Amanda are reportedly considering filing a ‘formal’ complaint against him, following initial accusations of their meeting last week.
An insider told The Sun: ‘There is every possibility all three could take it further and formally complain to the BBC, but for now they’re comforting each other. Only a handful of people will understand what it’s like to be trained by Giovanni and in the industry he is regarded as a ”perfectionist”.’
Laura reportedly sobbed frequently during preparation for the 2016 season and did not feel comfortable dancing with the professional dancer.
The source added: ‘There is some shock that the BBC appears to be doing nothing. Like Amanda, Ranvir also flagged an issue during training with Giovanni and said she was unhappy.’
However, a source close to Giovanni told the publication: ‘Gio finds some of these allegations deeply unfair and offensive. He believes he’s done nothing wrong, and simply wants to get the best out of his partners.’
Amanda, a 51-year-old Sherlock actor, reportedly sought legal counsel after leaving Strictly after only one month.
She cited ‘personal reasons’ for her resignation from Strictly, but later revealed that she sought video recordings of her rehearsals and was diagnosed with minor PTSD following the show.
Following her leaving, Amanda’snubbed’ Giovanni, while other former dance partners and co-stars rallied in support.
The BBC has not undertaken any inquiries concerning Giovanni’s actions on Strictly.
Last year, the BBC reportedly met with Giovanni to discuss his actions. However, no action was taken, and Metro.co.uk believes that it has opted not to begin an inquiry.
Strictly Come Dancing is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
