Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice faces an agonising wait to learn whether he will be returning to the show with plans for the next series on hold while its boss is on maternity leave.
It is not yet known if the Italian heart throb will be re-signed after actress Amanda Abbington – his partner from last year’s show – claimed to have suffered post traumatic stress disorder from appearing on the programme.
An announcement of the line-up of professional dancers would usually be unveiled in the coming days but plans for the next season are up in the air with Strictly boss Sarah James on maternity leave.
A show insider told The Mail: ‘There’s a bit of chaos surrounding all this year’s show. Usually, there would be a decision made on the professional dancers by now but because the boss is off, and she is held in such high regard, everything has been put on hold.
‘No decisions would be made without her and it isn’t really okay to expect someone on maternity leave to get involved in work matters when they are off.
Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice faces an agonising wait to learn whether he will be returning to the show while its boss is on maternity leave
It is not yet known if the Italian heart throb will be re-signed after actress Amanda Abbington claimed to have suffered post traumatic stress disorder from appearing on the programme
‘For Giovanni, it means he has to wait to see his fate. The BBC have backed him on this, they have had no complaint from Amanda and it has all become rather strange.
‘But he hasn’t put pen to paper yet. Giovanni, of course, wants to return. Why wouldn’t he?’
While Abbington, 52, hasn’t made any complaint against Pernice, 33, her representative briefed a red top newspaper that she had asked the BBC for video footage of the pair’s training sessions. And last week a secret meeting between the Sherlock actress, and two other celebrities who have also been partnered with Pernice, was revealed.
Sources close to Abbington told The Sun newspaper that she met with Ranvir Singh and Laura Whitmore reportedly to discuss their ‘difficult’ experiences working with him. It is said to have led to ‘tears being shed.’
Singh and Whitmore had both told of their trying experiences with Pernice, but the BBC are said to believe that Pernice simply want to ‘get the best out of his partners.’
Pernice had been partnered with Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington (pictured) last year before she sensationally quit the series five weeks later for ‘personal reasons’
Three of his former celebrity partners, including Laura Whitmore (left) and Ranvir Singh (right) reportedly met to discuss their difficult experiences working with him
Pernice shrugged off his latest Strictly crisis as he arrived for his live show last Sunday, as his rift with actress Amanda Abbington shows no signs of going away
Sources at the Corporation have said that they do ‘regret’ pairing him with Abbington and should have linked him instead with the more determined Angela Scanlon, the Irish television presenter.
They think they should have paired Abbington instead with Carlos Gu, who danced with Scanlon.
Last week, Pernice, who won the show in 2021 with deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, broke his silence on working with Abbington. She quit the show after five weeks.
He said: ‘It’s a shame because, in my opinion, she could have gone all the way. I am a perfectionist, 100 per cent, but it comes from a perspective of caring.
‘I think all of the professional dancers are in the same place. If you’re a professional dancer on one of these shows, you have to get these people looking the best they can on Saturday night.’
