Strictly’s Giovanni Pernice has been spotted “liking” a fan’s comment on a recent Instagram post, which implied that Amanda Abbington lacked the “mental strength” to compete in the ballroom series.
Reportedly, Giovanni is facing accusations of “threatening and abusive” behaviour during training sessions with his former dance partner, Amanda, on BBC‘s Strictly Come Dancing. However, he has strongly denied all of the allegations.
Today, he was found to have “liked” a comment on Instagram taking aim at Amanda. The Italian dancer had been tagged in a video showing him and his girlfriend, Molly Brown, enjoying a luxurious-looking holiday in Portugal, which fans flooded with comments of support.
One of the comments that Giovanni had ‘liked’ read: “Keep your chin up Gio, unlucky that someone decided to partner you with someone who didn’t have the mental strength to participate in Strictly.”
It continued: “The frustration I have is that no ‘official’ complaint has been made, it’s all innuendo by one partner when the other two have jumped on the bandwagon. ‘If’ things were so bad why has no one picked up in the last nine seasons either in the programme itself or during the tour?”
The comment also went on to reference the Strictly pro’s previous celebrity dance partners, who are reportedly seeking legal action against him, reading: “These partners may have had issues but as far as I can tell did not make anything official… But now they have banded together they appear to have hired a £700 an hour lawyer, one thing is for sure my license fee better not be picking up this bill, they can pay it out of their fee for appearing in Strictly.
“Like I say, let Gio see the accusations and let professionals like Arlene Phillips review. So fed up of AA, LW and RS systematically trying to ruin a professional’s reputation. Let’s get this sorted once and for all, all started when one woman, who was already going through a lot in her personal life, couldn’t take the added pressure of professional dancing, which is a great shame.”
Today, a BBC spokesperson told Express.co.uk: “It is a longstanding position that the BBC does not comment on specific matters related to individuals. Nor ordinarily, would we comment on whether we are reviewing any individual complaints.
“Recently, we have seen a number of media reports about a high-profile show. We would urge people not to indulge in speculation. Anyone involved in a complaint has a right to confidentiality and fair process.
“If a complaint is made to the BBC, we assess and take any necessary steps to establish the facts, whether there is a case to answer, and, if appropriate, what action should be taken. This is all within the context of the BBC having duties of care to everyone linked to a complaint – that applies to those that have raised the complaint and to those that have been complained about.
“Whilst we know our shows have been positive experiences for many of those who have taken part, we will always look at any issues raised with care, fairness and sensitivity to everyone concerned.” The spokesperson added: “We will not be commenting further.”
Express.co.uk has approached Giovanni’s representatives for comment.
