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Privacy NoticeStrictly Come Dancing’s Giovanni Pernice has opened up on how he and Amanda Abbington ended up as dance partners on the show. The Italian dancer claimed that during the “speed dating” phase of the show, where celebs get a quick spin around the dance floor with each pro, he was so impressed with Amanda’s moves that he asked the producers to pair them up. And it seems the feeling was mutual, as Amanda had also requested Giovanni as her partner. The show’s bosses agreed, and the two were paired for last year’s series. But things quickly took a turn for the worse in the second week of training when another celebrity contestant allegedly told Giovanni that Amanda had been expressing her dissatisfaction with their training in the group WhatsApp chat.
Amanda quit the show in October last year
(Image: ITV News)
Giovanni, who hails from Palermo, Italy, claimed: “I’ve still got [Amanda’s] messages. They say: ‘Thank you so much for your patience today, you’re an incredible teacher,’ so I just thought it was all great. “Then one of the celebrities came to me and said, ‘You didn’t have a great week, did you?’ I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ But Amanda had told them she had a horrible week – and that was week one, before the show had even started.” Giovanni told Mail Online he was then fearful Amanda, famous for her role in Mr Selfridge, might spread what he described as untruths about their time in the studios. So he took it upon himself to film their sessions – initially without her knowing. Giovanni continued: “That was the first time I knew that I had to take some action so I asked for chaperones and cameras in the room. I started to record myself on my phone. Obviously we were dancing and I wanted to see the video back but at the same time, I did it to protect myself. I told the production team I was doing it because I didn’t feel comfortable in the room, I didn’t feel safe.”
The pair left after Week 6
(Image: BBC)
Sign up to OK!’s daily newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox for free He addressed the rising tension saying, “At that point, I didn’t think she was going to accuse me of anything but she was saying one thing to me and something else to others on the WhatsApp group. She was telling two different versions of the story. They told me not to [film rehearsals] anymore but that they were going to do it instead.” Contradicting her dance partner’s version of events, Amanda, who exited the programme on October 23, 2023, later asserted it was actually her idea to have the practice sessions recorded. Despite Giovanni admitting he is rigorous in his teaching techniques, he originally believed he and Amanda could reach the show’s finale. But Giovanni shared his disappointment when, during Week Six of the competition, he got a call informing him that Amanda had stepped down, which according to him was a decision influenced by her attempt to instigate a ‘trial by media’ following her departure nearly a year prior.Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnGiovanni PerniceMr SelfridgeStrictly Come Dancing
