08 January 2024 , 22:26
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Debbie McGee has spoken out in support of her former Strictly Come Dancing dance partner Giovanni Pernice.
It comes after his latest celebrity partner Amanda Abbington, 51, quit last year’s series due to “personal reasons” and now claims to have PTSD after being paired with Giovanni on the show. She is also said to be threatening legal action and demanding to see video footage of their rehearsals.
Sources have told the Mirror the have been left “puzzled” by the request and accept that while Giovanni is a perfectionist and there are occasional “moans” about his regime, his conduct has never crossed the line to warrant any investigation. None of his previous dance partners had made any formal complaint, the source added.
Leaping to Gio’s defence, Debbie – who was paired with him on Strictly in 2017 and made it all the way to the final – posted a picture of the two of them together from when she starred on the BBC show. She captioned the post: “Happy memories. Giovanni and I had the best of times on Strictly.”
Debbie McGee has spoken out in support of Strictly's Giovanni Pernice (Instagram)
Actress Amanda Abbington claims she has PTSD after being partnered with Gio on the show (PA)And Gio clearly appreciated the gesture and responded saying: “Love you... thank you” followed by three red love hearts. Fans were also quick to back Italian stallion Gio, who has been a Strictly favourite since he joined the show back in 2015.
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One wrote: “Thank you for standing up Debbie. So many people love you for this.” Another commented: “Keep your head up high Giovanni... and thank you for doing this Debbie.” A third chimed in: “This is lovely of you Debbie in light of recent events xxx.”
A fourth said: “Thank you @thedebbiemcgee for speaking out for @giovannipernice you have said what all of his fans are saying, he has our support, let’s hope he gets more publicly from his friends and colleagues.” While a fifth added: “Good on you Debbie, Gio doesn’t deserve any of this xx.”
After speaking to Gio in the wake of the PTSD claims, a BBC source told the Mirror the allegations against him were “excessive”. They released a strongly-worded statement on Monday which inferred they would have picked up any bad behaviour at the time given their duty of care procedures.
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A BBC spokesman said: “The BBC offers a comprehensive range of support to all individuals taking part in our shows. has always taken duty of care incredibly seriously and there is a constant dialogue between senior members of the production team and the contestants to ensure any concerns are addressed swiftly. Strictly has a proud track record as a joyful, positive experience where robust support and assistance is always made available at every stage of the production.”
Many BBC insiders are “bemused” by the reports of PTSD given Amanda’s gushing statement when she left the show about her experience on the programme. She said: “I want to thank the incredible production team and everyone on Strictly who looked after me and are so kind and caring. It’s wonderful bunch of people and I’ll miss all of them.” But she stopped short of thanking her dance partner Gio, who wished her the best after she left the show in October.