STRICTLY Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice looked tense as he puffed on a cigarette during a break from rehearsals today.
The dancer was snapped exhaling smoke in Milton Keynes hours after it was revealed Amanda Abbington and two other former Strictly co-stars had held an emotional meeting about his behaviour.
Giovanni, 33, is currently on the road with his sold out theatre dance tour, which prominently features his fellow Strictly professional Lauren Oakley.
He dressed in a white T-shirt, black jogging bottoms and trainers ahead of tonight’s performance at the MK Theatre.
It comes as the BBC decided to stick by its under fire star by promoting his latest TV show on social media.
The professional dancer’s conduct on Strictly is under scrutiny after Amanda, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh met up to discuss his training methods.
All three were left upset and uncomfortable during their time on the show, however, other ex partners such as Debbie McGee and Rose Ayling-Ellis have always spoken highly of him.
Last night Anton & Giovanni’s Adventures in Spain was given a plug on Strictly’sInstagram ahead of its launch tomorrow.
The lighthearted post was in stark contrast to the brewing crisis engulfing one of Strictly’s best-known pros.
The social media post read: “Dancing, singing, Anton and Giovanni know how to perform! But what happened in Benidorm… stays in Benidorm.
“Head to @bbcpressoffice link in bio and hit Interviews to get all the behind the scenes stories – and find out which star joined them on their Adventures in Spain!
“Watch Anton & Giovanni’s Adventures in Spain on and BBC One from Monday 18 March at 9pm.”
The BBC declined to comment.
In a video clip, Anton and Giovanni gush about their bromance as they cling to one another and look at each other fondly.
Anton calls his longtime co-star his “best amigo” and Giovanni jokes “what happens in Benidorm, stays in Benidorm”.
All the while their love in is interspersed with snippets of them dancing and having fun in the sun on their latest adventure abroad.
We exclusively revealed last night how Amanda, Laura and Ranvir first made contact on social media before getting together in-person on Thursday to “compare notes”.
Sources said “tears were shed” as they offered one another support over their experiences with the “intense perfectionist” Gio.
Sherlock star Amanda, 52, quit the show in October citing medical reasons and has since revealed that she has been diagnosed with mild post-traumatic stress disorder.
However, speaking on The Mirror’s Invite Only podcast, Giovanni called Amanda’s decision to quit “a shame”, adding: “Amanda could have gone all the way.”
Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir, 46, who was partnered with 33-year-old Giovanni in 2020, complained about him to producers during her stint on the series.
Former Love Island presenter Laura, 38, meanwhile, said she “cried every day” and felt “uncomfortable” while training with him when they were paired up in 2016.
A source said: “All three had difficult experiences with Giovanni, who is well known to be intense during training. They met in person to share their experiences.
“Their meeting was emotional but heart-warming. They now know they are there to support each other after their tough times with Giovanni. Tears were shed.
“There is every possibility all three could take it further and formally complain to the BBC, but for now they’re comforting each other.”
The source added: “Only a handful of people will understand what it’s like to be trained by Giovanni and in the industry he is regarded as a ‘perfectionist’.
“He’s been known to row with many of his partners.”
Giovanni defended his actions, saying: “If you’re a professional dancer on one of these shows, you have to get the people looking the best they can on a Saturday night.
“If we have good scores at the end, I do look back and say, ‘I’ve done a great job’.”
Mr Selfridge star Amanda is lining up top lawyer Persephone Bridgman Baker for help to prepare a legal letter to the BBC to aid her in retrieving footage of her rehearsals with Giovanni.
Amanda, who has two kids with actor ex Martin Freeman, 52, has told how she received death threats when she revealed her PTSD diagnosis after quitting Strictly.
She said: “I told a few people about that, in the utmost confidence, among other things that were happening in my life . . . both professionally and personally.
“I’m very sorry that people felt the need to send me death threats, threaten my children and bring up my past, healthy relationship with an ex-partner as an indicator of my current mental health. I wish those people well.”
Ranvir also flagged an issue during training with Giovanni, who has been on the show since 2015, and said that she was unhappy.
And telly host Laura wrote: “I’m still not ready to talk in-depth about my experience on the show. I was placed with a dance partner I was extremely uncomfortable with. I cried every day. And I really was broken, both mentally and physically, by the end.”
In another interview, she said: “What I didn’t like was being removed from everybody and having to spend 12 hours a day with this one person.
“It did not become about the dancing. I just wanted to dance. I did not want to play the game of doing red carpets with your dance partner and stuff like that.”
The BBC said in January it would not be conducting an investigation into Giovanni’s behaviour with Amanda.
A spokesman said: “There is a constant dialogue between the senior production team and contestants to ensure any concerns are addressed swiftly.”
The source told The Sun on Sunday: “There is some shock that the BBC appears to be doing nothing. Like Amanda, Ranvir also flagged an issue during training with Giovanni and said she was unhappy.
