RANVIR Singh admitted she was "scared" of her Strictly dance partner Giovanni Pernice - years before it was revealed she made a complaint against him to the BBC.
Good Morning Britain host Ranvir hinted at trouble between the pair shortly after rehearsals began for the 2020 series.
Since then, his last celebrity partner Amanda Abbington has claimed she has PTSD after quitting the show.
The Sun also revealed Ranvir complained about the Italian, while former Steps singer Faye Tozer is understood to have clashed with him.
Ranvir said of Giovanni on the ITV breakfast show ahead of her series launch: "Don't be fooled by his angelic face!
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"He is a fiery Italian, super strict - I am a bit scared of him."
The pair went on to narrowly miss out on a spot in the final that year.
Giovanni is now facing scrutiny after Sherlock and Mr Selfridge star Amanda called for cameras to be put in the rehearsal room because she was concerned about his attitude.
The Sun can reveal bosses secretly had a meeting with Giovanni, 33, about his conduct last year, but no action was taken.
Last night, TV personality Richie Anderson had unfollowed his former dance partner on Instagram, while ex-Love Island presenter Laura Whitmore previously said she was “broken” by her time with him.
Last night a source close to the pro said: “Gio finds some of these allegations deeply unfair and offensive.
“He has had support from producers over what has happened recently and they are behind him.
"A lot of the negativity seems to be born out of professional jealousy, especially among the other pro dancers because he went on to get his own TV show with Anton Du Beke.
“Gio believes he’s done nothing wrong, and simply wants to get the best out of his partners.”
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