Anton Du Beke wants Giovanni Pernice ‘back on Strictly’ as BBC investigation results loom

Strictly Come Dancing justice Anton Du Beke has publically thrown his enactment down axed pro Giovanni Pernice amid allegations astir misconduct connected the creation show.

Former Strictly stars, astir notably Amanda Abbington but besides Laura Whitmore, person travel guardant with complaints astir Giovanni’s behaviour successful the grooming room, prompting the BBC to investigate.

Sherlock histrion Amanda, 50, antecedently alleged that Giovanni, 34, was a ‘bully’ who exhibited ‘toxic’ behaviour erstwhile the cameras were off, saying she’s been near with post-traumatic accent disorder (PTSD) after leaving the contention midway done past series.

While Giovanni has emphatically denied immoderate wrongdoing and vowed to wide his name, the Beeb’s probe findings are yet to beryllium published, with long-time pal Anton making nary concealed of wherever his loyalty lies.

Anton, who has filmed question shows with Giovanni and besides toured with him extracurricular of Strictly, the choreographer has present said helium would privation to spot the Italian prima backmost connected the dancefloor.

He told The Sun’s TV Mag: ‘I’d similar to spot him backmost of course, but we’ll bask Aljaz, and his caller efforts connected the amusement this year, and we’ll determination forward.’

After a break, Aljaz returns to the endowment bid this year, having past appeared connected Strictly successful 2021 with Sara Davies. He is the first-ever pro to beryllium welcomed backmost aft leaving.

‘We get a full caller clump of celebrities, and we spell connected from there,’ Anton added, with this year’s line-up including JB Gill, Shayne Ward, Sarah Hadland, Pete Wicks, Tasha Ghouri, Sam Quek, Wynne Evans, and Chris McCausland.

Addressing the ungraded further, Anton, who was a pro dancer until 2020, said: ‘It’s 1 of those situations wherever I benignant of consciousness similar I’m connected the extracurricular looking successful due to the fact that it’s astir worldly that of which I’m not progressive in, anymore.’

‘So I’m not portion of the… but it’s, you know, you don’t. You ne'er privation immoderate atrocious press, if you like, oregon anybody to accidental thing antagonistic astir the happening that you love,’ helium continued.

‘So I consciousness bittersweet but I’m benignant of waiting it… I’ve been waiting for it to benignant of get done this portion and past get connected with the caller show.

‘Really, I deliberation we’ve, I deliberation there’s been a benignant of play of clip present that we’ve been waiting for the caller amusement to commencement truthful we can, we tin get connected with the bully stuff, really.

‘Yeah, you never, you ne'er privation thing unpleasant to beryllium said astir the happening you truthful it’s been, it’s been unfortunate, and I anticipation it, I anticipation we have, anticipation we person a large series.’

He added that ‘you’re ever disappointed if idiosyncratic doesn’t person a bully time.’

The prima besides ‘hopes that 99% of radical did person a large time’ and ‘focuses connected that’.

His comments travel aft Amanda herself gave a caller interrogation successful which she described Giovanni’s behaviour arsenic ‘unnecessary, abusive, cruel, and mean.’

She said the crushed wherefore she spoked retired was due to the fact that she ‘couldn’t beryllium backmost and fto him bash that to different people.’

Meanwhile, having precocious completed his ain circuit and kept his region from the press, Giovanni is set to instrumentality to TV screens aboriginal this year…

It has been announced that the dancer – who antecedently lifted the trophy with Rose Ayling-Ellis – has signed to the Italian mentation of Strictly, Ballando con le Stelle.

Confirming his TV comeback, Giovanni said helium was ‘delighted’, arsenic helium heads backmost to enactment successful his autochthonal country.

‘I’m precise excited. I’m precise very blessed astir it. Now I person to bash the aforesaid happening again arsenic there’s an Italian assemblage now,’ helium wrote connected Instagram.

Giovanni was 1 of 2 long-time Strictly pros to beryllium sacked this year, arsenic Graziano Di Prima, 30, was besides fixed the chop aft accusations astir his behaviour.

It has been alleged that helium ‘kicked’ Love Island’s Zara McDermott, 27, successful the rehearsal room, which helium denies.

Giovanni maintains that helium is ‘not an abusive man’, arsenic helium simply ‘brushed’ her.

The remainder of the nation’s favourite dancers volition instrumentality to Strictly for its 20th-anniversary year, including Amy Dowden, who was absent past play to acquisition bosom crab treatment.

Anton is besides backmost connected the panel, sitting alongside Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, and Motsi Mabuse, critiquing the stars and offering scores.

It remains chartless erstwhile the results of the three-month-long Giovanni probe volition beryllium published by the BBC, with the past update revealing that it was improbable to beryllium August.

Strictly Come Dancing’s 2024 motorboat amusement airs contiguous astatine 7:20pm connected BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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