Giovanni Pernice tells Shirley Ballas 'I love you' after brutal Strictly exit

17 June 2024 , 22:45

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Giovanni Pernice told Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas 'I love you' (Image: PA)

Giovanni Pernice and Shirley Ballas proved there's no bad blood between them following his Strictly Come Dancing exit.

The professional dancer, 33, has been embroiled in controversy for months due to allegations about his behaviour during his last stint on the BBC dance competition - allegations he has strongly denied. It was confirmed earlier this month that Giovanni would not be part of the 2024 series.

Giovanni broke his social media silence following the shock news where he insisted he will keep on dancing. He has also embarked on his latest UK tour with Strictly judge and friend Anton Du Beke. Each night of their tour, the duo have posted a clip on social media thanking their fans for coming to watch.

They tease that nobody turned up to their shows, before revealing a packed audience. Shirley posted a clip on her social media on Monday night as she performed at Chorleywood War Memorial Hall. She took inspiration from Giovanni as she said: "I have come all the way to Chorleywood to do my new paperback Murder on the Dancefloor and not a soul has turned up. So Charlie has interview me all on my own. What a disappointment. But anyway..."

The camera then revealed a packed town hall as they called out: "Murder on the Dancefloor." Shirley captioned her clip: "@giovannipernice... nobody came to watch the show [wink face emoji]." Giovanni re-shared Shirley's post and sweetly added: "Oh I love you."

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Earlier this year, Shirley showed her support to Giovanni as she branded him a "gentlemen" and a "splendid teacher". Speaking on Lorraine, Shirley said: "I have known Giovanni for many, many years and he is an absolutely splendid teacher. My only ever experience with him is that of an absolute gentleman. He serves the show well and gives 100 percent, but you know..." She added: "But you know all these shows, Strictly, they're tough shows. So when you sign up for a show like that you kinda know what you are getting into, it's been on the screen for 20 odd years, it's quite difficult to do the show."

Giovanni reshared Shirely's post and said he 'loves' her (Giovanni Pernice/Instagram)

Shirley copied Giovanni and Anton's trick as she teased nobody came to her show (Instagram/ @giovannipernice)

Giovanni was paired with actress Amanda Abbington on the 2023 series of Strictly, who quit the show early and later claimed to have suffered from PTSD. The BBC was said to have launched an internal investigation after receiving complaints from his previous celebrity dance partners on the show.

He previously shared a statement to his fans as he denied the allegations. Over the weekend, Giovanni shared another statement with his followers as he wrote: "To my fans and followers, Every week, there are totally untrue stories about me in the media. As you know, I have always rejected any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour. The latest accusations are simply false.

"I am cooperating fully with the ongoing BBC investigation, which will determine the truth. As requested, I have stayed silent, but I am looking forward to the conclusion of the investigation and ultimately clearing my name and establishing the truth. I am so happy to be back on tour. Thank you all for your continued support – you messages and love mean so very much to me. I will hopefully see many of you very soon and I look forward to clearing my name. With love, Giovanni."

Breaking his social media silence following his Strictly exit, Giovanni posted a clip of him back in dance training. In the video Giovanni could be seen taking charge in leading a series of group dance sessions. He simply added three love heart emojis to the post - defiantly showing fans he is not giving up on his passion for dance.

His clip was also shared on Ballando's own account as fans expressed their delight at seeing Giovanni back to work on the dancefloor. Ballando offer dance workshops across the country with Giovanni as well as Strictly Come Dancing judges. Giovanni will join Anton and Shirley Ballas at the next session in London at the end of the month.

Mia O'Hare