What a difference two years can make. In December 2021, Giovanni Pernice, along with actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, was one half of perhaps the most popular partnership in Strictly Come Dancing history. The duo claimed the glitterball that year and their silent Couple's Choice dance won a Bafta. "If social media makes you despair about humanity, and think we have suddenly turned into a mean and divisive society," Richard Osman tweeted at the time, "just watch #Gogglebox watching Rose and Giovanni on Strictly. "
If social media makes you despair about humanity, and think we've suddenly turned into a mean and divisive society, check it out #Gogglebox Rose and Giovanni watch Stricly. ❤️❤️❤️
- Richard Osman (@richardosman) November 19, 2021
That feels like a long time ago now. It's been a turbulent week for Pernice in what appears to be an escalating crisis for the 33-year-old dancer. This week it was announced that he has quit Strict - although neither the dancer nor the BBC have confirmed the departure - and law firm Carter-Ruck has contacted the company about "numerous serious complaints" about his alleged behavior during the filming of the show.
Once again the BBC made no comment. In response to the allegations, Pernice, who has reportedly engaged the law firm Schillings, issued a statement on Instagram: "To my dear fans: You will be as surprised as I am that allegations have been made about my dance teaching methods in the media this week .
"I naturally reject any suggestion of abusive or threatening behavior and I look forward to clearing my name. Those who have followed my journey Come strictly dance for the past ten years will know that I am passionate and competitive. No one is more ambitious for my dance partners than me.
"I have always strived to help them become the very best dancers they can be," he continued. "This always comes from a place of love and the will to win - for me and my dance partners."
Following news of Pernice's departure, the coin has turned as reports have also emerged that Strictly's professional dancers are said to be 'deeply concerned' about the lack of psychological assessments of the show's celebrity contestants before they sign up . According to the Daily email, Strict does not conduct extensive testing for its potential stars, unlike ITV's Dancing on ice.
Television insiders point out that most other reality shows conduct rigorous evaluations to ensure potential cast members can handle the demanding conditions. Sources close to some of the Strict professionals have reportedly expressed concerns that they could face accusations from their celebrity partners if problems arise in these intense circumstances. Of course, there is also a similar concern about whether sufficient psychological care is provided to the professional dancers, who are exposed to significant public scrutiny and criticism.
The actress Amanda Abbington, Pernice's most recent partner Strict, left five weeks after last year's series, citing personal reasons, and did not appear in the live final. In an Instagram post, the Strict team, she notably omitted any mention of her professional partner. It has since been reported that Abbington has since suffered from PTSD while training with her 'militant' dance partner. The sun reported that she was one of the participants who had instructed lawyers. Pernice's former partner Laura Whitmore has also spoken about her unhappiness during her time on the show.
Strict pro Luba Mushtuk has performed in Pernice's shows. "I started dancing with him in 2016 when I joined the Strictly family," she said Dancing times in 2018. "We started choreographing together and doing some songs. We thought it worked really well dance-wise and we started the tour. We are really good friends. We are like brother and sister: we argue; we are having lots of fun. We just have a very special relationship."
Outside Strict Korina Travis, a 29-year-old Burn the Floor dancer, who has performed with Pernice at private functions, said in a response to a comment on Instagram: "I have known him for years as a fellow competitor and he has done terrible things to me . I won't talk about my experiences with him, but I'm glad the world sees him for who he really is. I'll leave it at that."
To a request for an interview, one of his former partners responded. "The chapter with Giovanni is something that is in the past," she said, "and I would like to keep it that way."
The unfolding story proves to be deeply divisive. Without being in the room or seeing the BBC footage, you can't know exactly what happened. For this reason, the majority of Pernice's former celebrity partners on Strictly have kept quiet on the matter, although Debbie McGee, a former dancer herself, posted on Instagram in January: "Giovanni and I had the best time on Strictly."
The show's other professional dancers have also remained largely silent. Former Strict champion Stacey Dooley declined to comment on the subject when asked on BBC Breakfast. "What I would say in a broader sense is that I hope all the women involved are doing well," she noted. "I actually think, apart from that - in my personal experience, I think it's a slippery slope to not believe women when they come forward and say certain things."
There is a lot of support for the dancer among Pernice's largely female fans. With 1.1 million followers on Instagram, more or less the same number as the BBC show itself, Giovanni has a huge fan base and has maintained a busy schedule outside of Strictly, with annual shows and touring as a duo with Anton Du Beke. The pair also recently appeared on Anton and Giovanni's adventures in Spain although there are rumors that their travel show has also been canceled.
Miho Charles, one Strict fan and student of Giovanni, has nothing but praise for her teacher. "Giovanni never criticizes your inability," she says. "He suggests options and he always praises us... I describe him as a very hardworking, dedicated, very funny, honest, [he] keeps promises, [is a] kind, loving, thoughtful, passionate, delightful, diligent and beautiful person. He is one of the most fantastic teachers."
However, there's more at stake teaching a celebrity on Strictly, with major time pressure and an audience of millions. And the Sicilian dancer, who joined the show in 2015, has made no secret of the fact that he is a teacher. Shortly after their time together, Pernice praised McGee's dedication and work ethic. "Everything I taught her, she listened," he said enthusiastically, "and she repeated, repeated, repeated - that's what made the dancing so good."
Pernice has also not hidden the fact that he is extremely competitive. "Very, very competitive," he said Dancing times in 2022, after winning with Ayling-Ellis. "I always wanted to win Strictly because I had come so close - coming second so many times without getting the glitterball.
"I gave it to my mom and dad," he added. "I promised them that if I ever won the glitter ball, I would give it to them, so I did that. It is in Sicily where they live, in the living room, so they can see it every day." On the mantelpiece? "Yes, next to Jesus Christ," he joked.
The dance world is known for being hot-headed. I'll never forget interviewing a West End choreographer on a Zoom call during the pandemic. When I noticed how friendly choreographers and dancers usually are, he said firmly, "Look, not everyone is nice." "Dancers are very emotional," noted Domen Krapez, the former world professional ballroom champion. "We are not business people. We have to own the floor - we have to show emotions. And then of course emotions sometimes come to the fore too much and they may not suit the person standing in front of you. That can be a bit problematic."
In the past decade there has been at least one fight between female dancers on the floor of the British Open Championships at the Blackpool Dance Festival. Strict's head judge, Shirley Ballas, has spoken out against bullies in the dance world, but also repeated an anecdote about Mel Giedroyc's show Unforgivable about hitting a woman who had allegedly had an affair
Most ballroom insiders have witnessed couples arguing, voices being raised - or even a single punch or chair being thrown across the room during rehearsals. It's not the norm, of course, and it shouldn't be acceptable, but there is a dark side to dancing and, to some extent, a conspiracy of silence surrounding it. It's hard to know if that's what's going on right now, or if it's just a matter of everyone waiting out the legal investigation to discover what really happened.
The BBC has been contacted for comment