Ranvir Singh has finally spoken out as her former professional dance partner, Giovanni Pernice, is said to have “quit” Strictly Come Dancing.
The 33 year old Italian dancer finds himself in the eye of a storm following reports on Thursday that he has dramatically left the BBC show after nearly a decade as a pro. This comes in the wake of allegations of tensions with his celebrity partners.
Speculation started when Amanda Abbington abruptly withdrew from last year’s Strictly, later confirming she had quit due to stress and even revealing a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder following her stint with Giovanni.
Despite Giovanni denying any claims of misconduct, it was reported that Amanda had an emotional meeting with two of Giovanni’s previous Strictly contestants – Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh – to discuss their “difficult experiences” with him. The Sun reports that Giovanni has now left Strictly amidst backlash over his “intense training methods”, as his name was notably absent from an internal memo circulating at the BBC.
The Italian dance maestro Giovanni Pernice is facing backlash for his demanding training methods on the popular series, with Ranvir Singh admitting her apprehension after being paired with him in 2020. “Don’t be fooled by his angelic face! He is a fiery Italian, super strict – I am a bit scared of him,” she confessed on Good Morning Britain, reports the Mirror.
Since then, Ranvir has remained tight-lipped about her experience with Giovanni.
Amidst growing rumours of Giovanni’s potential exit from Strictly Come Dancing, Ranvir sidestepped the drama, choosing instead to highlight a yoga and relaxation session on her Instagram Stories. However, it’s not just Ranvir who has expressed discomfort; Laura Whitmore also shared her unease about training with Giovanni after her own participation in the show back in 2016.
“I’m still not ready to talk in depth about my experience on the show,” Amanda Abbington confessed on the Private Parts podcast in 2020, detailing her distressing stint on Strictly Come Dancing. “I was placed with a dance partner I was extremely uncomfortable with and in the end I felt broken. I cried every day. And I really was broken, both mentally and physically, by the end.”
She expressed her discontent with the intense focus on her partnership with Giovanni, including public appearances: “What I didn’t like was being removed from everybody and having to spend 12 hours a day with this one person,” she vented.
Amanda has found herself at the heart of the controversy surrounding Giovanni Pernice, and earlier this year, she made headlines by asking BBC chiefs to release rehearsal footage, fuelling speculation of potential legal moves against the Italian dancer. Her abrupt exit from the show after merely five weeks has only intensified whispers about Giovanni’s controversial coaching style.