Strictly star Giovanni Pernice appears to have had his inner circle ripped apart amid allegations levelled at him by former partners and a reported probe into his behaviour by the BBC.
The professional dancer has come under intense scrutiny over allegations of his behaviour behind the scenes on the dance series.
He was forced to address the claims in a social media post earlier this week – one that none of his fellow Strictly family hit the like button on.
So, as the star denies all claims and vows to “clear his name”, who can he count on?
Strictly star Giovanni Pernice shares video with Anton Du Beke
Earlier today (May 21), Giovanni put out a plea for help from his fans, at the same time appearing to double down on the strength of his friendship with Strictly judge Anton Du Beke.
Later this year, the boys are scheduled to head off on tour together. They’ve also fronted two series of their popular Adventures With travel series for BBC One.
And, on the day that the long list for the National Television Awards 2024 came out, Giovanni posted a throwback video with Anton, asking fans to vote for the boys’ Anton and Giovanni’s Adventures in Spain as TV’s Best Factual Entertainment Show.
Giovanni posted a video of the pair messing around, with the Italian pro promising he’ll get a tattoo of Anton’s name if they win the gong.
He captioned the post: “Let’s see if I can keep my promise. Vote now. https://www.nationaltvawards.com/vote!! @mrantondubeke @officialntas.”
Fans react
Anton is yet to like the post, but plenty of fans have, offering their support to the troubled pro.
“Behind you all the way….in every sense of the word..we got ya back !!..Stay strong and WIN BIG!!” said one.
Stay strong and feel the love.
Another added: “Every step of the way, you will find me with you both. Best of luck.” A third then commented: “Voted. We’re all with you.” “Stay strong and feel the love,” another commented.
“Support you all the way GIO please DON’T leave Strictly,” another urged.
Giovanni’s Instagram post came as one PR expert suggested that Anton could be “feeling the pressure” when it comes to whether or not to continue his close association with the trouble-hit pro.
View this post on Instagram
Anton will be ‘feeling the pressure’
Speaking to The Sun, brand and culture expert Nick Ede claimed Anton and the rest of the Strictly pros are stuck in a “Catch-22 situation”.
He speculated: “They have all been on a long journey with Giovanni and dancers are all very respectful of each other and encourage each other like a family. However, they also have to make sure that they are not associating themselves with anything negative and potentially damaging, so need to be cautious.”
Speaking about Giovanni’s friendship with Anton, Nick went on to speculate: “Giovanni is so embedded with Anton and their spin-off show was actually very successful. But I’m sure he’ll be feeling the pressure to continue with his friend or ditch him for the sake of his lucrative judging role on one of the biggest shows on UK TV.”
Offering his advice to Anton, Nick added: “He has to think about his relationship with the BBC as well as the other professional dancers on Strictly. And that’s going to be a really difficult thing for Anton to do.”
ED! has contacted Anton’s reps for comment.
Read more: Timeline of allegations made against Strictly Come Dancing’s Giovanni Pernice
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