Strictly Come Dancing: Giovanni Pernice believed to have quit the show after nine years

BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing is prepping up to deliver another epic contest this year. Many hopeful celebs aim to be a part of the show every year but only a handful get that opportunity to try and win the Glitter Ball trophy. The show that has become one of the UK’s most cherished programmes is gearing up to celebrate two decades of glitz, glamour and memorable moves this year.

As such, the 2024 Strictly series is more significant and more eagerly anticipated than any other BBC show. We even created a list of all the celebs rumoured to joing the newest season!

While celebs for the series will be announced weeks before the show, the professional dancers are usually announced beforehand and rumour has it, that controversial professional dancer Giovanni Pernice is not on the list for this year.

Giovanni Pernice quits Strictly Come Dancing, claims reports

After all the drama that followed Strictly’s Italian dancer after last year’s show, it’s no surprise that he may not be returning to the dance floor this year. With Amanda Abbington quitting the show midway due to rigorous practice sessions and more celebs coming forward to reveal his behaviour on the show, BBC was even accused of protecting Giovanni.

However, it looks like the broadcaster may have given up on their attempt to save him and keep him on. Wondering why? Well, an internal memo of this year’s professional dancers for the show has been circulated without Giovanni’s name, reports Express. What’s more? Reportedly, the pro dancer has been telling his friends that he has quit Strictly. This comes after his future on the show was put on hold as the senior producer of the show was on maternity leave.

But these new reports in the media suggest that Giovanni has indeed quit the show. 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.

Giovanni has previously defended himself and his rehearsing style as being a perfectionist and determined to win the show at all costs. The source added that the pro dancer still feels he has done ‘nothing wrong’ but also realises his style of training is not for everyone. So stepping back from the show and looking for new projects is his best deal so far. The source added:

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 after Giovanni was reportedly in contract talks with the BBC to do Strictly one more time. The channel remained tight-lipped on the situation and said:

The professional dancers for Strictly Come Dancing 2024 will be announced in due course.

Despite quitting Strictly, his other hugely popular show - Giovanni and Anton’s Adventures in Spain - has been commissioned for another series.

Giovanni’s Strictly journey so far

The 33-year-old has been a part of the show since 2015 and won it once in 2021 with Rose Ayling-Ellis. Of the nine years that he has spent on Strictly, Giovanni has been a finalist about five times and holds the record of receiving the most 10s on the show (98), confirms The Independent.

In his career on Strictly, the pro dancer has had feuds with his partners. Starting from his celeb partner from the 2023 series Amanda Abbington. The Sherlock actress has been really vocal about her trauma and suffering during her rehearsal with Giovanni.

Amanda ended up quitting Strictly mid-way due to ‘personal and medical’ reasons but later revealed that Giovanni’s tough ways of practice were too much for her to bear. Seeing Amanda be so vocal about her uncomfortable and disturbing journey with Giovanni, more of his former celeb partners - Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh - united together to speak up about his behaviour on the show.

Apart from feuds, the dancer is also notoriously famous for facilitating the Strictly curse. He has been linked with Georgia May Foote and Ashley Roberts in the past.

Former Strictly Come Dancing pro dancer talks about Giovanni’s fling

Giovanni is undoubtedly a ladies' man and everyone on the set of Strictly seems to know it. However, former Strictly pro dancer James Jordan suggested that had he not been married, he would have given Giovanni a run for his money in the romance department. James said:

If I wasn't with Ola, I'd have been worse than Giovanni!

James was on the show from 2006 to 2013. He is married to Strictly alumna Ola Jordan and had been with her even before finding fame on the show. Yet, he feels that a Strictly romance could’ve happened for him as well, had he not been committed to his partner.

Explaining why romances on Strictly are more normal than any other workplace romance, James highlighted that pro dancers and celebs have to perform sensual dance routines just days after meeting each other, reports Express. They spend 8 hours a day practising new dance forms together in quite close proximity which can lead to romances easily. James shared:

You're very close, aren't you? Day one, you come in and you're literally rubbing up on each other, groin to groin. You just met them and you're rubbing your crown jewels up against them.

It's normal in our world but not for everyone else and you're so close to each other, dancing sexy, and there's nice music and you're training with each other for eight hours a day, so if there is a little bit of chemistry, something's going to happen.

Meanwhile, Giovanni has been the centre of a Strictly romance rumour almost every year. His flirty and passionate personality lands him in such positions. Apart from Georgia and Ashley, Giovanni was rumoured to be pretty close to Faye Tozer, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh on the show. The Italian hunk is now dating model Molly Brown and is on a romantic getaway with her in Dubai amidst all the Strictly drama.

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Sources Used

Express: Giovanni Pernice 'quits' Strictly Come Dancing 'to focus on other projects'

The Sun: Strictly pro Giovanni Pernice sensationally QUITS BBC show after controversial clashes with female celeb partners

The Independent: Giovanni Pernice: The Strictly star at the heart of a storm

Express: BBC Strictly Come Dancing star makes racy admission about heartthrob Giovanni Pernice