Giovanni Pernice shoots down Strictly 'family' assumption
Giovanni Pernice left the show in 2023 after a very public fallout with dance partner Amanda Abbington, who accused him of subjecting her to "vile abuse" during rehearsals.
Giovanni Pernice doesn’t think the Strictly Come Dancing family actually “exists”.
The 35-year-old dancer left the show in 2023 after a very public fallout with dance partner Amanda Abbington, who accused him of subjecting her to "vile abuse" during rehearsals.
The BBC investigated him over 16 allegations in total, upholding six and clearing him of 10 of the most serious accusations, and Giovanni has since moved on with his life - and is doing his best to leave Strictly behind him.
However, in a recent interview with Heat magazine, Giovanni was asked about the rivalry on the show, to which he replied: "I don't find that the ‘Strictly family’ exists because we're all there for the same reason - it's a competition and everybody wants to win.
"The other pros all want to be successful. We all want to be the best and we all want to win the Glitterball. When somebody becomes more successful than someone else, it's normal that they get on their nerves, it's a rivalry.
"You will have good moments and bad moments, even though they like to say it's a family, that's not true."
Giovanni previously admitted the whole experience took a huge toll on his mental health, writing in his book Gio: Taking the Lead: “Hunched on the sofa of my London flat, I scrolled through my phone as story after story brought bad news, plunging me deeper into depression.
“Is it worth it? I asked myself. What would happen if I wasn’t here any more? Who would care?
“Tomorrow, I pledged, I would end it all. My life was over and the emotional pain was becoming unbearable.”
Giovanni claimed his Sicilian heritage was the reason he “pushed” his partners to perform to the best of their abilities.
He wrote: “Some celebrities think they can rehearse for only three or four hours a day. But that achieves nothing. I’m Sicilian. I push as much as I can.
“It’s like when you go to the gym and the personal trainer says: ‘Come on, push, push, work harder.’”
Amanda received a "substantial" payout from the BBC after she made a legal complaint about her ill-fated stint on Strictly. She was reportedly given a five-figure out-of-court settlement and a contribution to her legal fees from BBC Studios, preventing a lengthy court battle and allowing the actress - who was subsequently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - to put her ordeal behind her.
