Strictly's Giovanni Pernice reveals 'dark times' over Amanda Abbington show scandal
Giovanni Pernice has opened up about his fears of losing it all amid the Strictly Come Dancing bullying scandal. As he makes a comeback on our screens tonight for the first time since his departure from the popular show last summer, the Italian dancer shared that he went through "dark times".
The BBC conducted an investigation after Giovanni's dance partner Amanda Abbington, 50, left Strictly in October 2023, levelling accusations of "abusive" behaviour against him. Out of 17 complaints lodged, the investigation substantiated six against Giovanni, 34 – however, it did not conclude that he physically mistreated the Sherlock star.
The professional dancer maintains that although he was a "strict teacher", he never crossed into bullying territory. Now, Giovanni is eager to move past the tumultuous events of the past year as he embarks on a new chapter, which includes featuring on Channel 4’s Celebrity Hunted this evening alongside fellow Strictly pro Kai Widdrington, 29.
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Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Giovanni said: "I’m not going to lie, there were dark moments in terms of, you know, this is finished, this is the end of my career. That was one of my down moments. Sorry for my language but 2024 can f**k off. I’ve been looking forward to seeing the back of it."
Following its probe, the BBC issued an apology to Amanda in September after confirming instances of verbal bullying and harassment. Giovanni, addressing the aftermath of Amanda's complaint to the BBC, said: "Even with that I was like, I need to be a better man. I have to.
"Every time she came out with another interview I was always maintaining a calm inside. Trust me, it wasn’t easy, there were dark times. But I know what I did – that kept me calm, because I knew the truth from the beginning.
"I was expecting and waiting that all of this would finish and come back with the results that I wanted it to be. I know what the truth is, I know who I am, so you just wait and move on with life.
"After last year where everything happened, I decided to take life day by day because you never know what is going to happen, things can change in a moment. And then after being down there is only one way up. And you come back fighting and even stronger, you try to find better solutions.
"Competitiveness, you know, it’s what I do for a living. I was born that way, so I’ve got that competitiveness in me and nobody will ever take it out of me, whatever I do. If I’m on the run, if I’m on a dance show, if I playing cards with my mates, you know, if there is a competition, I’m there. That’s what keeps me going when I face any adversity in my life.
"I have to think positively. Since the age of seven I started to compete in dance competitions. Everything I do, I always find a solution or a way to make it work. I just think I am built that way. I built myself that way."
Giovanni is taking his competitive spirit into Celebrity Hunted, where pairs of stars go on the run and try to evade a team of ex-cops working to track them down. Other celebs joining him include Loose Women’s Denise Welch and her husband Lincoln Townley, pop star Duncan James, model Christine McGuinness, podcasters David "Sideman" Whitely and Zeze Millz, soap actresses Danielle Harold and Kimberly Hart-Simpson, and news anchors Simon McCoy and Lucrezia Millarini.
Giovanni says: "It’s exciting to be back on British TV, it’s been a while. I took it very, very serious – that’s what I do. I took everything very serious and that, you know, ends up to be my problem in general." Viewers will also get to see his cheeky side when he decides to take the fight to the Hunters by personally delivering a pizza to their HQ.
He revealed: "As always, I was making history! I said, ‘What has never happened in all these series of Hunted?’ And no one has ever turned up at their door. It’s never happened before, something like this. I was like, ‘I want to be memorable. So let’s go to their place for once’. So I had a special pizza made up and delivered it myself to their place with a note. That was so much fun. I can’t wait to see how they reacted to that."
Having triumphed in the Italian edition of Strictly in December and found love along the way with his dancing partner, superstar Bianca Guaccero, aged 43, Giovanni's luck is definitely on the rise.
As well as Hunted, he is off on a UK tour – and is excited to get back in front of a live crowd.
He said: "I can’t wait to reconnect with Mother Nature, which is my UK fan base, because they’ve been supportive all the way through and I’ve missed them."
The shows will be bittersweet for both Giovanni and his fans – as he reveals they will be his last. “It’s going to be so emotional when I get back on stage in front of them again, and even more emotion is the fact that this is my last tour. I need a break, darling. I’m 35 years old. I’ve been doing this for 10 years."
Ready to switch the paso doble for scripts, Giovanni is eyeing a leap into acting next.
He revealed: "That’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but obviously English is not my first language, so we have to see. I need to go to English school first of all to learn English properly.
"And I like to sing too, so maybe some singing lesson to improve my singing."
Celebrity Hunted starts tonight at 9pm on Channel 4
