Debbie McGee has come out in defence of former Strictly partner Giovanni Pernice amid his ‘feud’ with Amanda Abbington.
The magician’s assistant, 65, who appeared on the show back in 2017, shared a beaming throwback snap of herself and Italian dancer Giovanni, 33, backstage.
Debbie captioned the post: ‘Happy memories, Giovanni and I had the best of times on Strictly’.
Actress Amanda, 51, quit the BBC One series mid-series last year citing ‘personal issues’, with reports of a fallout between the pair.
She has since reportedly claimed the show left her with PTSD and demanded footage of rehearsals to highlight the Italian’s ‘tense’ and ‘full-on’ training methods, which allegedly caused her much grief.
Debbie McGee, 65, has come out in defence of former Strictly partner Giovanni Pernice, 33, amid his ‘feud’ with Amanda Abbington
The magician’s assistant, who appeared on the show back in 2017, shared a beaming throwback snap of herself and Italian dancer Giovanni, 33, backstage.
Speaking in a new statement, a spokesperson for the BBC broke their silence on Monday saying: ‘The BBC offers a comprehensive range of support to all individuals taking part in our shows.
‘Strictly Come Dancing has always taken duty of care incredibly seriously and there is a constant dialogue between senior members of the production team and the contestants to ensure any concerns are addressed swiftly.’
The spokesperson continued to tell The Sun: ‘Strictly has a proud track record as a joyful, positive experience where robust support and assistance is always made available at every stage of the production.’
It comes as Strictly is in crisis as bosses fear celebrity contestants will refuse to pair up with Giovanni following Amanda’s feud with the professional.
It has TV chiefs fearful future contestants will refuse to work with the dancer, who has previously garnered negative feedback from former partners including Laura Whitmore, 38, Ranvir Singh, 46, and Richie Anderson, 36.
Giovanni is one of Strictly’s most high-profile dancers and an emerging BBC light-entertainment face courtesy of his travel series with judge Anton Du Beke, 57, which could leave bosses with a problem.
Show insiders believe Strictly will stand by the dancer but accept finding him a future partner will not be straightforward.
A source told MailOnline: ‘The fallout between Giovanni and Amanda is causing much concern.
Amanda has claimed the show left her with PTSD and demanded footage of rehearsals to highlight the Italian’s ‘tense’ and ‘full-on’ training methods (pictured together on the show)
Debbie and Giovanni reached the 2017 final only to be beaten by Joe McFadden and Katya Jones
‘Celebrity contestants usually don’t mind which partner they are coupled up with as they’re just happy to be on the show.
‘But Giovanni’s reputation has taken a further hit following Amanda’s experience and they don’t want to be in a position where new contestants may threaten to quit if they’re paired with him.’
Pro dancer Giovanni has appeared on Strictly for eight consecutive years and made the final on three occasions.
While a decision about his future on the show is yet to be made, the feeling internally is that he is due to move on to new projects.
It’s believed Giovanni is already carving out a career away from Strictly after launching his own cosmetics brand, called Vita, in October and touring the country with independent shows.
His Strictly highlight was undoubtedly winning the 2021 series with deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, 29, earning praise and a BAFTA TV Award for their silent dance to Symphony.
But it has now been claimed she has asked for rehearsal footage to highlight the Italian’s ‘tense’ and ‘full-on’ training methods, which allegedly caused her much grief
Speaking in a new statement, a spokesperson for the BBC broke their silence on Monday saying: ‘The BBC offers a comprehensive range of support to all individuals taking part in our shows (the pair pictured during a practice session)
It added: ‘Strictly Come Dancing has always taken duty of care incredibly seriously and there is a constant dialogue between senior members of the production team and the contestants to ensure any concerns are addressed swiftly’
The former EastEnders star has previously gushed about Giovanni, lauding his ability as a mentor and expressing their close bond, which jars against the comments of some of his other Strictly partners.
Another source close to the show believes Pernice’s reputation as a hard taskmaster is not actually much of a concern, as they believe contestants with ambitions to win would like to work with him.
The source explained: ‘There’s various types of contestants who sign up for Strictly.
‘Some do it for the experience, learn a new skill and up their profile, while also having some fun.
‘Whereas others are hugely determined and want to lift the glitterball by putting in the hours in the rehearsals and working their backsides off.
‘If you are aligned with the latter and can accept the tough talking and brutal approach, Giovanni is your man.’
Amanda left the show during week five in October and failed to return for the final, where eliminated celebrities took part in a group dance.
It has reportedly taken months for her to recover from her Strictly stint and it is believed she has needed therapy following the ‘behaviour she was exposed to’.
The actress is not the first celebrity to criticise his gruelling training style.
In 2016, TV presenter Laura Whitmore said: ‘I’m still not ready to talk in-depth about my experience on the show.
‘I was placed with a dance partner I was extremely uncomfortable with and in the end, I felt broken, I cried every day. And I was really broken, both mentally and physically, by the end.’
In 2020, Giovanni fell out with Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir as she admitted to having a ‘total meltdown’ in rehearsals with him.
Pro dancer Pernice (pictured during rehearsals with Ms Abbington) has appeared on Strictly for eight consecutive years and made the final on three occasions
The ITV presenter told her co-star Kate Garraway she and the dancer had a ’20-minute divorce’ as things became tense in training.
It was also reported that Giovanni feuded with radio DJ Richie when he performed in a same-sex partnership for the first time in 2022.
Giovanni is yet to comment on the claims made against him but has posted on Instagram about teaching a dance class to 250 people.
A Strictly spokesman declined to comment.
