Strictly stars Giovanni Pernice and Amanda Abbington hail 'trust' in partnership amid tension rumours

Giovanni Pernice and Amanda Abbington are proving to be the front-runners in this year's Strictly Come Dancing series, after scoring a whopping 32 for their Salsa in only the show's second week.

Their routine, which you can partially see below, was jam-packed with content and plenty of daring lifts. However, off the dance floor, there has been speculation that the pair aren't getting along, something they have been swift to deny as they share uplifting messages for one another.

And they seemingly addressed the rumours once again as they debriefed with Claudia Winkleman, revealing that they wouldn't have been able to pull off their show-stopping lifts if they didn't have complete "trust" in one another.

Giovanni hailed Amanda as "unbelieveable" saying: "To trust me like that on week two. Lifts are a very difficult thing to do, the whole trust is on me." Amanda had echoed similar sentiments when talking to Tess Daly following her routine.

During an appearance on It Takes Two this week, host Janette Manrara probed: "It honestly looks like you two are having the best time in rehearsals, getting along like a house on fire in rehearsals right?"

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Shutting down any rift rumours, Amanda agreed and said: "Yeah we are, we are! We do and we laugh a lot, we have the same sense of humour which is really important. So we'll come out, work hard, and then we just laugh don't we."

Giovanni, 33, added: "We do have a good time, but at the same time, obviously we have to do our dance. It's a difficult process, especially for people who have never done it Strictly before.

"I always say, 'It's a marathon, not a sprint.' The first few weeks are difficult, it is difficult, it's a lot of hours to train, a lot of hours to be concentrating but then when you get to Saturday and do what you did," the dancer added.

Earlier this month, rumours of a feud between them emerged when The Sun reported that Amanda had threatened to quit the show following a series of rows between the pair. Amanda swiftly issued a defiant response to the claims.

Taking to Instagram in a video shared ahead of Saturday's live show, Amanda said she was "ignoring the [expletive]," adding: "Just stop it. You know who you are.

"Stop it, grow up. No one gives a [expletive] and shut up, it's [expletive]. You know who I'm talking to as well, so come on, jog on. It's nonsense and you know it's nonsense."

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