Three of Giovanni Pernice’s former Strictly Come Dancing partners are said to have been left fuming, claiming he’s ‘untouchable’ as the BBC reportedly have thrown their support behind him.
The professional dancer, 33, was most recently paired with Amanda Abbington on the BBC One competition, however, after she quit feud rumours between the two emerged.
And while Giovanni has gained the support from other Strictly stars, it has now been claimed that Ranvir Singh and Laura Whitmore, who he partnered with in 2020 and 2016 respectively, have met Amanda to share their own difficult experiences working with him.
Sources have said the trio shared an ’emotional summit’ and ‘compared notes’ about working with Giovanni – weeks after reports of Amanda seeking legal advice.
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.’
Initial claims of Laura, Ranvir and Amanda meeting broke last week, with reports they’re considering lodging a ‘formal’ complaint against him.
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”.’
Reportedly, Laura cried daily when in training during the 2016 series 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, who is 51 and known for her role in Sherlock, reportedly sought legal advice earlier this year after leaving Strictly just one month into the competition.
Although she did not provide much explanation for her departure, she mentioned 'personal reasons' at the time. It has now come to light that she had requested video footage of her rehearsals. She was diagnosed with mild PTSD after her time on Strictly and was After leaving the show,.
Amanda did not interact with Giovanni, This follows reports that while former dance partners and co-stars have offered their support to him There have been no investigations into Giovanni’s behavior on Strictly.
BBC did not launch any investigations into Giovanni’s conduct on Strictly. The BBC supposedly met with Giovanni last year regarding his behavior. However, no steps were taken, and the organization has reportedly decided not to begin an investigation, as understood by Metro.co.uk. Metro.co.uk has reached out to the BBC and representatives for comments from Giovanni, Amanda, Laura, and Ranvir.
Strictly Come Dancing can be viewed on BBC iPlayer.
‘It's a disappointment.’
Strictly Come Dancing is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
