Giovanni Pernice’s departure from Strictly Come Dancing could potentially lead to a boycott from the show.
It was confirmed on Monday that the professional, 33, will not take part in the 2024 series after he wasn’t included in the official line up amid a probe into alleged workplace ‘misconduct’.
And after the news came to light some of his fans threatened that they wouldn’t watch the show.
The BBC launched an investigation after the dancer was accused of ‘threatening and abusive behaviour’ while working with celebrity contestants on the show, including Amanda Abbington, Ranvir Singh and Laura Whitmore – which he has strongly denied.
Last week a male celebrity reportedly joined the group of women making complaints about Giovanni’s behaviour.
Giovanni Pernice’s departure from Strictly Come Dancing could potentially lead to a boycott from the show
The BBC launched an investigation after the dancer was accused of ‘threatening and abusive behaviour’ while working with celebrity contestants on the show, including Amanda Abbington (seen)
It has also been claimed that a professional dancer needed three months of therapy after starring on the show alongside Giovanni.
The lineup for the next series sees the return of dancers Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Graziano Di Prima, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Gorka Marquez and Luba Mushtuk.
Joining them are Jowita Przystal, Johannes Radebe, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Michelle Tsiakkas and Vito Coppola.
While Amy Dowden is also coming back to the dancefloor after taking a break from the show last year to undergo cancer treatment.
The BBC also confirmed the return of judges Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel-Horwood and Anton Du Beke.
While fans were overjoyed to see Amy, 33, and the other dancers return, many were angry that Giovanni was not coming back, believing he had been pushed out by bosses due to the allegations about his behaviour.
They took to social media to fume that the Italian had been made a ‘scapegoat’ and said they would not watch the show anymore in protest, claiming it ‘won’t be the same without him’.
They raged: ‘Gutted! He’s my fav. Should be a petition to bring him back! If some celebs can’t handle the training and hard work then they shouldn’t go on the show. He was amazing with Rose; That’s me not watching anymore!’
The professional dancers who will appear on the upcoming 2024 series were announced on Monday – with Giovanni’s name notably absent
They took to social media to fume that the Italian had been made a ‘scapegoat’ and said they would not watch the show anymore in protest, claiming it ‘won’t be the same without him’
The Sicilian dancer is accused of ‘threatening and abusive behaviour’ while working with celebrity contestants on the show (pictured with Laura Whitmore in 2016)
‘Shocking treatment of Giovanni, IMHO all due to a clearly unpleasant person!!! So many fans will be very disappointed, it won’t be the same; Not happy about the exclusion of Giovanni the best pro on strictly’.
‘No Giovanni. No point in watching; It is a disgraceful decision by the #strictly organisation. Shame on them for caving in and making Giovanni the scapegoat’.
‘Omg I won’t be watching strictly this awful news; Well it certainly won’t be the same without him…our loss; Really glad to see Amy back but devastated that Giovanni has gone. Big mistake, HUGE!!’
‘Hope amanda Abingdon [sic] is pleased with herself. Ratings will drop considerably now Giovanni is not appearing. I won’t be watching; I’m gutted he’s my fave dancer. The show wont be the same without him’.
‘That’s it then not watching anymore; We don’t know what went on behind closed doors, but I do think this is sad. He is an incredible dancer and I really think his presence will be missed on the show.’
‘Huge loss not having Gio onboard. I think this a bad decision and I hope continue to support him in whatever he does next. Big mistake; BBC should have backed him, he was passionate about his job and obviously had high standards.’
Giovanni has strongly denied any wrongdoing, with a representative previously saying in a statement: ‘Giovanni is fully committed to clearing his name and defending his rep against accusations against him.’
Three women, including actress Amanda, have hired £700-an-hour lawyers at leading London law firm Carter Ruck to pursue claims against Giovanni and the BBC.
And in the latest twist of the bitter legal battle, an unnamed male star, who worked with Giovanni during his time on the show, is said to have shared his experiences with the law firm.
‘After three women came forward, a man has now joined their ranks. He personally reached out to the women at the heart of this unfolding crisis, offering them his support and full backing,’ a source told The Sun.
‘He has also been in touch with Carter Ruck and told them what he knows, and shared his experiences. These experiences were, at times, very tricky.’
Giovanni launched a fightback by hiring rival law firm Schillings. His case is being handled by Joelle Rich, 39, who represented Johnny Depp in his libel trial in 2020.
A spokesman for Giovanni told the publication: ‘Schillings is engaging with BBC Studios to provide it with Giovanni’s evidence to strongly rebut the claims being made about him and confirm Giovanni is fully cooperating.
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‘As with any reality TV show, when decisions are being made for entertainment reasons, the producers have a duty of care to all participants.’
While at the weekend, The Sun reported that an unnamed fellow dancer suffered ‘significant emotional distress’ on the show, that required professional help.
A source told the publication: ‘One of the dancers on the show found it so traumatising that they sought professional help. The show is unlike anything else on TV. The pressure on those taking part is huge and shouldn’t be under-estimated.
‘But Giovanni’s demanding behaviour behind the scenes took it up a notch and caused significant emotional distress.
‘They were so upset by what happened they needed counselling to recover from the toll it took.’
It was previously reported that the rehearsal tapes between Amanda and Giovanni will not be released to the actress after she demanded them to prove her claims of bullying.
Amanda was told they couldn’t hand over the tapes to her because they feature a third person, Giovanni, not just her.
He is therefore entitled for private information or content about him not to be disclosed without his authorization.
One insider told The Sun: ‘It raises the question, “What has he got to hide?” It doesn’t look good.’
The insider continued: ‘The BBC will have reviewed the footage and considered if it was possible to redact content showing him.
‘Having spoken to him they have decided to withhold it completely at his request. The irony is Giovanni’s camp gave the impression it was his idea for cameras to monitor rehearsals even though Amanda’s pals have insisted it was her.’
Amanda left the competition mid-way through the series, citing personal reasons after weeks of rumours about a feud with Giovanni.
The Sherlock star said she was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and demanded to see footage from rehearsals.
Amanda previously rubbished reports Giovanni had asked the BBC to record his rehearsals with the actress over growing concerns about her behaviour – claiming she had requested their dance practices to be filmed, not him.
She told The Daily Mail: ‘I asked for them to be recorded, it was me. Giovanni is nasty. He was awful to a few of us, a group of us.’
Amanda went on to describe how her life had been devastated by the experience, which has exploded since she quit the show abruptly in the middle of the last series.
In January, she claimed she had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after working with Giovanni, and later complained of sustaining a bruised foot in training.
‘You don’t understand how awful this all is,’ she said. ‘Giovanni’s fans have started trolling me now. I have had to come off social media and I’m getting death threats.’
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The actress also insisted that she had complained of Giovanni’s behaviour soon into the series. ‘I went to producers early on and told them about Giovanni,’ she said.
And she lamented of the fallout: ‘All of this because I didn’t enjoy a television programme. I didn’t enjoy it because of all of this.’
Amanda has led the charge in accusing him of ‘difficult behaviour’ during training and is currently speaking with the BBC to discuss possible workplace misconduct.
Despite the furore, head judge Shirley Ballas has stood by the under-fire pro and will join him in hosting a number of dance classes in London next month.
Named Ballando, the one day event is led by Shirley, Giovanni and Anton Du Beke as they share their expertise with fans.
No details of how Giovanni is alleged to have behaved have yet been released. But the BBC put out an unprecedented statement about the dispute.
A Strictly spokesman said: ‘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.
Earlier this week a male celebrity reportedly joined the group of women making complaints about Giovanni ‘s behaviour (pictured previous dance partner Ranvir Singh)
Despite the furore, head judge Shirley Ballas has stood by the under-fire pro and will join him in hosting a number of dance classes in London next month alongside Anton Du Beke
‘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.’
Sources familiar with the situation say the BBC came under pressure from Amanda’s team to say publicly that it was she who asked for the rehearsals to be taped.
A source said: ‘It’s terrible, really. Amanda wanted the BBC to set her record straight, to confirm her version of events.
‘But of course they can’t. It just shows that if she doesn’t like what is being said, she shouts loudly about it.’