‘Numerous serious complaints’: Strictly axes Giovanni Pernice after biggest scandal in show’s history | Television

Arrivederci, then, Giovanni Pernice. The BBC have finally confirmed that the Strictly Come Dancing star received’t be a part of the skilled lineup for this yr’s sequence.

It brings to an finish a tumultuous interval for the BBC’s ballroom blockbuster – all of the extra embarrassing as a result of it’s not even been on air. The furore risked spilling into autumn’s landmark contest, which celebrates twenty years of dance. In the end, the company had little alternative however to half methods.

After a backlash from actor Amanda Abbington and different former dance companions, Pernice has been on the centre of an escalating disaster. The 33-year-old Sicilian has been preventing “critical complaints” about his alleged “threatening and abusive behaviour”. He strenuously denied any wrongdoing, however now the axe has fallen.

Final October, Abbington withdrew from the sequence after 5 weeks, citing medical and private causes. Rumours of bust-ups with Pernice swirled, not least when she pointedly thanked everybody besides her dance accomplice in her farewell message. In December, she declined to return for the standard “Strictly Class of 2023” group dance within the grand last.

In January, she requested BBC footage of their “tense” coaching periods, saying she had suffered delicate PTSD and was looking for authorized recommendation. Legislation agency Carter-Ruck mentioned there have been “quite a few critical complaints” about Pernice’s behaviour. He denied all of the accusations and vowed to clear his title, partaking “fame consultancy” Schillings to defend him.

Abbington wasn’t the primary to complain about Pernice. Laura Whitmore mentioned after the 2016 sequence: “I used to be extraordinarily uncomfortable with him. In the long run, I felt damaged. I cried day by day.” Ranvir Singh, who partnered him in 2020, mentioned: “Don’t be fooled by his angelic face. He’s a fiery Italian, super-strict. I’m a bit fearful of him.”

Abbington, Whitmore and Singh reportedly met as much as talk about their experiences, described by tabloids as “a tearful summit”. A male celeb – unnamed however considered Pernice’s 2022 accomplice Richie Anderson – got here ahead to supply the ladies his help and share his personal experiences with Carter-Ruck.

Not all of Pernice’s companions, it have to be identified, have discovered him troublesome. Debbie McGee tweeted in help of him when the allegations emerged. His shut bond with Georgia Could Foote blossomed right into a romance. Pernice just lately advised The One Present: “I’m undoubtedly a perfectionist. Like each competitor, I wish to win.” Abbington retorted that he was “nasty” and “terrible to a couple of us”. There have been whispers of a file of proof being handed to the BBC, together with accusations of Pernice stamping on companions’ ft after they fluffed steps.

Much more than “curse of Strictly” showmances, this has arguably been the most important scandal within the beloved present’s historical past. Because of this, it was claimed, producers have been discovering it exhausting to enroll feminine expertise for the forthcoming sequence. Potential candidates have been cautious of being paired with Pernice. His fellow professionals noticed the saga from the opposite facet and have been mentioned to be “deeply nervous” in regards to the lack of psychological assessments for the celebrities with whom they’re partnered.

Final month, a leaked inside memo didn’t embody Pernice’s title on this yr’s roster, prompting experiences that he’d stop. So rife have been rumours that the beforehand tight-lipped BBC urged individuals “to not take pleasure in hypothesis” whereas an inside inquiry was in progress. Not for the primary time, the company has been gradual to react to an unfolding disaster. Absolutely bosses ought to have intervened earlier than it obtained this far? Coaching periods are filmed, in spite of everything. If Pernice’s conduct was uncontrolled, producers ought to have tackled it sooner. The present row rumbled on for eight months earlier than motion was taken.

One purpose they agonised so lengthy might have been as a consequence of Pernice’s standing because the present’s premier male professional. He has been a persistently standout performer, widespread with viewers and judges alike. In 9 years, he has reached 4 finals, together with his 2021 glitterball win with EastEnders actor Rose Ayling-Ellis, the present’s first ever deaf contestant. Their Couple’s Alternative routine, with its gorgeous silent interlude, was named Bafta’s Should-See TV Second of the 12 months.

This excessive level was adopted by a disappointing low. The following yr, he fashioned an all-male couple with Radio 2 presenter Anderson. They have been eradicated in week three, Pernice’s worst ever end. Then got here the pairing with Abbington, which precipitated his departure.

Pernice foxtrots off with probably the most excellent 10s ever awarded to a Strictly professional, having notched 98 maximums. He’s topped the leaderboard extra instances than anybody else. He additionally holds Guinness World Data for Charleston swivels and jive kick-and-flicks.

When he arrived on the present in 2015, the 25-year-old “Italian stallion” was perceived by some to be conceited. Head choose Len Goodman scolded him in his debut sequence for shaking his head throughout the panel’s critiques. As Pernice settled in, he received over viewers together with his sharp choreography, clean appeal and outcomes present catchphrase of “thanks, thanks, thanks”. He constructed a big fanbase, with 1.1m followers on Instagram – the identical quantity as Strictly itself. The BBC gave him a travelogue sequence.

His partnership with McGee in 2017 was his breakthrough yr. She was nonetheless grieving over her late husband Paul Daniels, who’d died the earlier yr. Pernice helped rebuild McGee’s confidence and enabled her to snigger once more. I interviewed her on the time and she or he couldn’t have spoken extra extremely of her accomplice, praising him as a affected person instructor and ideal gentleman. A former ballerina herself, possibly McGee was extra accustomed to exacting strategies.

Strictly has misplaced a string of male professionals in recent times. Kevin Clifton, Pasha Kovalev, AJ Pritchard and Aljaž Škorjanec all waltzed off to pastures new. Anton du Beke swapped his dancing footwear for a scoring paddle. Whereas a few of their replacements have change into fan favourites – notably Kai Widdrington and Vito Coppola – the exit of a dancer like Pernice will probably be keenly felt.

So robust is Strictly’s format that it has at all times been in a position to trip out high-profile departures, from Lord Len to Sir Brucey. Pernice being jettisoned is simply one other reminder that no person is larger than the present; the BBC couldn’t afford to tarnish such a flagship franchise.

If he had stayed, all eyes would have been on who he obtained paired with. It risked overshadowing the competition’s milestone twentieth yr. What ought to have been a celebratory event nearly turned a controversy-plagued one. Let’s hope we are able to consign this unedifying chapter to the previous and focus on sparkly issues as a substitute.