Strictly Come Dancing’s Shilrey Ballas has seemingly defended her “good friend” Giovanni Pernice once again after he was accused of exhibiting “threatening and abusive” behavior toward his famous dance partners.
While it has been claimed that BBC bosses have banned the cast from speaking about the “bullying discussion”, Shirley, 63, said Sun That grueling training can sometimes be “super strict” and include “cruel words” that “aren’t said in the nicest way.”
Giovanni, 33, is at the centre of a bullying row following allegations of misconduct by fellow Strictly contestant Amanda Abbington, 52, and two other women, leading him to quit the show amid the scandal.
Shirley told the publication: ‘I have known Giovanni for ten years and he is a good friend of mine, but I have no involvement in that investigation.
Saying she planned not to speak out of turn and “stay in her lane” – which is ballroom dancing – she insisted everyone goes on Strictly simply hoping to entertain.
Strictly Come Dancing’s Shirley Ballas, 63, has seemingly defended her “good friend” Giovanni Pernice once again after he was accused of exhibiting “threatening and abusive” behaviour towards his famous dancing partners.
Although it has been claimed BBC bosses have banned the cast from speaking about the “bullying discussion”, Shirley said the gruelling training can sometimes include “cruel words” that are “not said in the best way” (Shirley pictured with Giovanni).
Giovanni, 33, is at the centre of a bullying row following allegations of misconduct by fellow Strictly contestant Amanda Abbington (pictured) and two other women, leading to him quitting the show amid the scandal.
“We don’t want to kill their enthusiasm and the idea that they can be Glitterball champions. So I think sometimes words can be cruel and people say them in a not very nice way. I learned the difference.”
She continued: “I can be very strict when someone is trying to win the gold medal, and then I can still be quite strict, but in a positive way on Strictly, so that they learn something. That’s something I always do. I’m always looking for the best way to be able to offer constructive criticism.”
Last week Shirley and fellow judge Anton Du Beke They showed their support for Giovanni by teaching at his Ballando dance workshop.
When Shirley came on stage to teach a Jive, she told the dancers that it was an “honour and a privilege” to be in the workshop and Giovanni added: “I’ve known him for 10 years and we’re good friends…”
Shirley gave the Italian professional a “huge thank you” for inviting her to his workshop and continued: “I will be a person who will be by his side forever. With him, what you see is what you get.”
The Queen of Latin went on to share a story about Giovanni’s caring side, revealing that when her mother Audrey battled cancer, Giovanni was a source of comfort to her.
She recalled: ‘He was there for me and even when we were very busy, he always asked me how I was.
‘We were at an event with a group of VIPs and my mother and I were on the other side of the room, but Giovanni walked past all of them to come and talk to us.’
He said he planned not to speak out of turn and “stay in his lane” – which is ballroom dancing – and insisted everyone goes into Strictly simply hoping to entertain.
She said: “You don’t want to kill their enthusiasm or the idea that they can be Glitterball champions. So I think sometimes words can be cruel and people say them in a not so nice way. I’ve learned the difference.”
Last week, Shirley and fellow judge Anton Du Beke (left) showed their support for Giovanni (right) by teaching at his Ballando dance workshop.
While Giovanni has been the subject of a lot of criticism amid the bullying controversy, Shirley can certainly relate to that as she has also had to deal with backlash and trolling.
She was accompanied at the event by her social media manager, whom she hired to protect her from the abuse she faces online.
Seemingly emotional, Shirley confessed that being trolled is “horrendous” and that she had to call someone to “delete all the trolls’ comments.”
The event was also attended by Anton Du Beke, 57, who has been performing with the star on her Together tour.
Arriving at the event to teach Quickstep, Strictly’s longest-serving pro wasted no time in showing how much he cared for Giovanni, wrapping him in a big bear hug and calling him his “best friend”.
Shirley and Anton showed their support for the star hours after he received the latest blow that the BBC investigation into his conduct could bring next year.
The professional dancer is at the centre of a bullying row following allegations of misconduct by fellow Strictly contestant Amanda and two other women.
As many as five celebrities have already “provided formal statements” to two former Metropolitan Police detectives leading the investigation, according to Sun.
One source said the investigation could “stretch into next year” and management feels there is significant “pressure” to ensure it is as thorough as possible.
The source added that the BBC hopes the findings will not be published in the middle of the next series, as the programme celebrates its 20th anniversary.
The BBC has launched an investigation after Giovanni was accused of “bullying behaviour” while working with celebrity contestants on the dance show, including Amanda, Ranvir Singh and Laura Whitmore.
Amanda left the competition midway through the series, citing personal reasons after weeks of rumours about a feud with Giovanni.
The Sherlock star said he has been diagnosed with PTSD and demanded to see footage from rehearsals.
Amanda left the competition midway through the series, citing personal reasons after weeks of rumours about a feud with Giovanni (pictured during rehearsals)
In 2016, former Love Island host Laura Whitmore said she “cried every day” and felt “uncomfortable” while training with him.
Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh also complained about Giovanni to producers in 2020, during his time on the show.
His former partners have also come out in support of him, including Debbie McGee, the widow of magician Paul Daniels, who was paired with him in 2017.
Amanda later denied reports that Giovanni had asked the BBC to record his rehearsals with the actress due to growing concerns about her behaviour, claiming it was she who requested their dance practices be filmed, not him.
“I asked for them to be recorded, it was me. Giovanni is unpleasant. He was horrible to some of us, to a group of us.”
The actress is said to have met with Laura and Ranvir earlier this year for an “emotional summit” to “compare notes” on her time working with Giovanni amid the BBC investigation.
Giovanni has counterattacked by hiring rival law firm Schillings. His case is being handled by Joelle Rich, 39, who represented Johnny Depp in his 2020 defamation trial.
A spokesman for Giovanni said: ‘Schillings is working with BBC Studios to provide Giovanni with evidence to strongly refute the claims made about him and confirm that Giovanni is fully cooperating.
‘As with any reality show, when decisions are made for entertainment reasons, producers have a duty of care to all participants.’
Giovanni also shared a post on Instagram detailing that he was “totally shocked” by the allegations, which he denies.
He said in a statement: ‘You will be as shocked as I am that allegations about my dance teaching methods have been made in the media this week.
‘Of course, I reject any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour, and I look forward to clearing my name.
‘Those who have followed my journey on Strictly Come Dancing over the past decade will know that I am passionate and competitive. No one is more ambitious than me when it comes to my fellow dancers.
“I have always strived to help them become the best dancers they can be. This always came from a place of love and desire to win, for myself and my fellow dancers.
‘Thank you all once again for your continued love and support!’
