Strictly's Giovanni Pernice breaks his silence amid Amanda Abbington reports

Giovanni Pernice, the 33-year-old Italian professional dancer from Strictly Come Dancing, recently took to Instagram in the wake of reports involving his former dance partner, Amanda Abbington.

Amanda, who left the show in the fifth week, is reported to have been seeking legal advice about her time on the hot TV show.

On Monday, as his former partner Debbie McGee warmly remembered their time together on the show, the Italian responded by leaving her a loving message.

"Happy memories. Giovanni and I had the best of times on Strictly," Debbie shares on her account, to which Giovanni replied: "Love you … thank you."

Over on his own Instagram account, Giovanni shared a post (which was later deleted) which showed a more upbeat side of his life, highlighting a dance class where he taught 250 students various dances, including the Cha Cha Cha, Quickstep, Paso Doble, and Argentine Tango.

He captioned the photo with enthusiasm: "250 people!! This is how we spend our Sunday! Love you all."

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The reports of tension came to light in October, around the same time Amanda departed from Strictly Come Dancing.

In an interview with virginradio.co.uk conducted that month, Giovanni admitted to being a "very strict" teacher. "I'm very, very strict. The only reason why is because first of all, I know my partner's got massive potential, and obviously, I want her to look the best on a Saturday night. And second of all, because I believe in Amanda," he explained.

Amanda, known for her role in "Mr Selfridge," had to leave the competition for "medical reasons," later citing "personal reasons" for her decision in a statement on Instagram.

"It is with deepest regret that I had to leave Strictly," she wrote, expressing her sadness over leaving the show and gratitude towards the Strictly team and her fellow contestants. However, notably absent from her message was a mention of Giovanni.

During the 2023 Strictly final in December, Amanda was noticeably absent. A BBC spokesperson commented, "Amanda decided to withdraw from the competition, therefore she will not be returning for the final."

As of now, neither Giovanni nor Amanda have publicly responded to the report latest reports that Amanda was seeking legal advice. The situation remains a topic of speculation.

This is not the first time Giovanni has experienced issues with his partners. In 2016 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.”