KATE Garraway paid a glowing tribute to Giovanni Pernice after we revealed the dancer is quitting Strictly.
Having faced multiple accusations of rude and demanding behaviour in training and rehearsals from past celebrity partners, Giovanni has decided to step away from the programme.
Despite this, the divisive Italian stallion made many fans over nine years on the show, and Good Morning Britain's Kate is among them.
She described Giovanni as "great" on today's show and told co-host Robert Rinder that he would be "deeply missed".
"He was great on the show and people love him," she added.
What Ola and James Jordan really ate and did to shed 7st
Kate starred on Strictly in 2007 when she was partnered with Giovanni's close pal Anton du Beke.
Show judge Anton has a BBC travel programme with Giovanni and the pair toured together in the latest series, Adventures in Spain.
Kate went on to add: "Giovanni and Anton [du Beke] are great friends and I've loved watching those shows as well."
Giovanni also partnered fellow GMB co-host Ranvir Singh in Strictly back in 2020.
Last night we exclusively revealed Giovanni has told pals he is quitting the dance show — after starting negotiations to do another series.
The BBC was said to be “very keen” to continue working with the Italian, 33 — who has faced allegations over his tough training methods from previous celebrity partners, including actress Amanda Abbington.
And an internal memo of this year’s professional dancers for the show has been circulated without his name.
And The Sun can reveal that Giovanni had told friends he is now instead seeking a fresh start on other TV shows.
His shock move after The Sun first revealed tensions between the dancer and Sherlock star Amanda, 52, his celeb partner last year.
She quit in October after a series of bust-ups which left her in tears.
Ola and James Jordan detail how weight loss has reignited their sex life
Amanda later told The Sun on Sunday she had been diagnosed with mild post-traumatic stress disorder following her stint on the competition.
Claims from other celeb partners then emerged.
Last night a source told The Sun: “Gio feels the scrutiny on him has become too much, and now is the time to make a fresh start.
“He wants to focus on other TV projects, and feels he’s achieved all he can on Strictly, having won the trophy back in 2021 and reaching the final an unprecedented four times.
“He remains adamant he’s done nothing wrong other than being a hard taskmaster, but knows his style of training isn’t to everyone’s liking — especially in this day and age.
“He has a lot of other exciting projects in the pipeline right now, and he’s just super-excited to get cracking on them. This, now, is his priority.”
The news comes four weeks after Giovanni began contract talks with the BBC to do another year of the hit contest — marking its 20th anniversary.
The star, who has been relaxing on holiday abroad, told bosses he is currently taking a three-week break to mull over his decision.
However,it seems unlikely he will change his mind.
Gio joined the show in 2015 and has become a fan favourite — reaching the final in his first year with actress Georgia May Foote, and triumphing in 2021 with EastEnders star Rose Ayling-Ellis.
Giovanni recently defended his training methods, and said Amanda could have got to the final if she had stayed.
He told a podcast two months ago: “I am a perfectionist, 100 per cent, but it comes from a perspective of caring.
“I think all of the professional dancers are in the same place.
“It’s a shame because, in my opinion, she (Amanda) could have gone all the way.”
Amanda reported her pro partner’s alleged behaviour to the BBC around the time she left, and Giovanni was spoken to by a duty-of-care counsellor.
The actress also later demanded to see footage of the pair in rehearsals.
Other claims against Giovanni also emerged.
At least three other celebs were said to have struggled to adapt to his volatile methods — with Laura Whitmore, Ranvir Singh and Richie Anderson all reportedly unhappy.
In March it was claimed that Amanda, ex-Love Island host Laura and GMB star Ranvir met for an “emotional summit” to discuss their shared experiences with him on the show.
They discussed making a formal complaint to the BBC.
Laura previously revealed she was “extremely uncomfortable” at being paired with Giovanni on the 2016 series.
