Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice has said that “bully is a big word and there’s a difference between being a bully and caring about what you do” in a new interview.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Strictly was at the centre of an internal probe following complaints made about Giovanni’s alleged conduct by his former celebrity dance partner Amanda Abbington.
The Italian dancer had long refuted “any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour”, telling his Instagram followers in June: “I am co-operating fully with the ongoing BBC investigation, which will determine the truth.”
Following an internal investigation, the BBC issued an apology to Amanda after upholding “some, but not all” of the allegations, but clearing the professional dancer of the most serious accusations.
Now, Giovanni has given his first TV interview following the investigation on ITV’s Lorraine on Tuesday and has refused to rule out a return to the BBC show.
He told guest host Christine Lampard: “The investigation didn’t find me a bully and this is why I feel relief now, it’s important to put that straight. Bully is a big word. There’s a difference between being a bully and caring about what you do.
“Bullying is a major word but I’m glad that 11 allegations were dropped. At the beginning there were very serious allegations that I had been threatening her or abusing her and all of this has been taken out which is the most important thing.
“At the moment I’m just very focused on Dancing with the Stars Italy. I’ve got a tour coming up in January so I’m definitely coming back to the UK. And then, who knows? Never say never.”
When asked by the host if he would change his training style following being dropped from the show, he said: “I wouldn’t change my teaching style because, in my opinion, it’s a profession, dancing is a very difficult thing to do.
“It’s a difficult discipline, and for me, teaching, the way I teach, is the successful way to approach this. Yes, you could change the approach, but not changing the teaching style.”
Ahead of Strictly’s return last month, it was revealed that several new changes were being implemented for this year’s series, most notably a member of the production team being present “at all times” in the rehearsal room.
“Concerns that have arisen in recent months have been fundamentally about training and rehearsals,” the BBC said in July. “[These new measures] are designed to address that.”
“As a matter of course, the BBC and BBC Studios takes duty of care extremely seriously and our processes on the show are updated every year, and we will continue to keep this under constant review. It is always important to look at whether there is more we should do,” they added.