STRICTLY'S Gorka Marquez broke his silence on the Giovanni Pernice scandal on today's Good Morning britain.
The programme's professional dancers have been instructed to remain quiet on Giovanni's exit amid the ongoing investigation into his training room behaviour following complains from Amanda Abbington and three other former celebrity partners.
But appearing on today's GMB with co-star Karen Hauer, he was unable to swerve the topic when asked by Adil Ray and Susanna Reid.
The Spaniard did his best to be as vague as possible in an awkward moment in an otherwise jovial interview to promote their upcoming stage show, Speakeasy.
He said: "I think it's like when Aljaž [Škorjanec] leaves or like when Anton [Du Beke] decided to be a judge, everybody is a big part of the show so when somebody decides to leave or change their careers... it's sad for everybody."
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When asked if he was still in touch with Giovanni, Gorka said: "Yeah, sometimes we speak. Obviously he's so busy, I'm busy, He's on tour at the minute with Anton."
It comes after a show dancer told us that the cast are banned from speaking about Giovanni.
The pro, who we are not naming, said: “I’m not allowed to comment. We’ve been told not to talk about it until the official Strictly statement.”
On Sunday night another Strictly pro, Lauren Oakley, broke ranks and showed her support for Giovanni.
Ballroom star Lauren attended Giovanni's new show with Anton Du Beke.
The 33-year-old posted from the audience and re-shared a picture of the show programme along with three love hearts.
Lauren's support for Giovanni comes after The Sun revealed Amanda Abbington has called in police after being bombarded with death threats from trolls.
The actress, 50, has received dozens of horrific messages a day from fans of her ex-dance partner, who she has accused of bullying behaviour.
Last week Giovanni released a statement vowing to clear his name after a male Strictly star became the fourth contestant to complain to the Beeb.
The dancer said: "As you know, I have always rejected any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour.
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"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."
