Strictly Come Dancing pro Giovanni Pernice’s former celebrity partners have complained they felt ‘uncomfortable’ with him and even feuded with the dancer.
The professional dancer, 33, withdrew from the competition last year after his partner Amanda Abbington decided to leave for ‘personal reasons’.
At the time, some suggested she found Giovanni’s ‘militant’ style of training hard to deal with and her time on the show was said to have been ‘plagued by difficulties’.
It has now been reported that Amanda, 51, has demanded bosses hand over footage of her rehearsals with Giovanni after they clashed while working together.
A source also claimed Amanda has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Strictly Come Dancing pro Giovanni Pernice’s former celebrity partners have complained they felt ‘uncomfortable’ with him and even feuded with the dancer (pictured with Laura Whitmore)
It was also reported as recently as last year that he ‘feuded’ with Richie Anderson in 2022 , who was his celeb partner the year before Amanda (pictured together)
An on-set source told The Sun: ‘The BBC have received a request for the footage they hold of Amanda and Giovanni. It is known as a data subject access request.
‘There is a feeling that the recordings will lift the lid on what really goes on behind the scenes on Strictly. Things in rehearsals can become very tense.
‘Giovanni is a perfectionist and he can be incredibly full-on.’
However it isn’t the first time Giovanni’s celebrity partners have had issues with his intense training style.
In 2016, former Love Island host Laura Whitmore said she ‘cried every day’ and felt ‘uncomfortable’ while training with him.
She later wrote for HuffPost UK in 2018: ‘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 really was broken, both mentally and physically, by the end.’
Giovanni was also said to have fallen out with Good Morning Britain star Ranvir Singh in 2020.
It has now been reported that Amanda, 51, has demanded bosses hand over footage of her rehearsals with Giovanni after they clashed while working together (pictured)
Ranvir admitted that she had a ‘total meltdown’ during rehearsals with professional partner Giovanni (pictured together in 2020)
Ranvir admitted that she had a ‘total meltdown’ during rehearsals with professional partner Giovanni.
The broadcaster told co-star Kate Garraway that she and the dancer had a ’20 minute divorce’ as things became tense in the training room.
Discussing the gruelling rehearsals with Kate, Ranvir admitted she had to walk out and take some time for herself after the dancer ‘put me in my place’.
It was also reported as recently as last year that he ‘feuded’ with Richie Anderson in 2022, who was his celeb partner the year before Amanda.
It was said at the time that the pair ‘hadn’t clicked’ since being coupled together and tensions were rising off camera.
Sources told The Sun during the time of filming that Giovanni was becoming frustrated with Richie not listening to him in rehearsals.
However, Richie later hit back at the reports and insisted there was ‘no problem’ between them during a joint appearance on spin-off show It Takes Two.
Following Amanda’s shock exit from the show, Giovanni’s parents said the dancer ‘was just doing his job’.
In 2016, former Love Island host Laura Whitmore said she ‘cried every day’ and felt ‘uncomfortable’ while training with him (pictured together)
Addressing the news at the time, Giovanni’s father Piero and mother Rosalda admitted that their son ‘trained for long hours but was just doing his job’.
Speaking to The Sun, from his home in Italy, Piero said: ‘We are surprised by the fact she left the show, because everything was going ok – we thought they could have won.’
He added: ‘My son is a really nice, polite and respectful boy. He always had good results with different partners and he has never had problems with them.’
Giovanni’s mother Rosalda explained: ‘They have to train tough hours to get some results. Giovanni has just done what he had to do. He was just doing his job.’
