Giovanni Pernice declares love for Strictly Come Dancing co-star as she supports after latest statement

Giovanni Pernice sweetly shared his love for his former Strictly Come Dancing co-star as she copied one of his on-stage moves. It is the first time Shirley Ballas has publicly directed any communication in the dancer's direction after claims about his behaviour on the show.

Giovanni wasn't included in the line-up of professional dancers confirmed by the BBC who will return to the ballroom later this year. While they haven't explicitly referenced his exit, the BBC did not announce the 33-year-old as part of its line-up of professionals for 2024 following claims of abusive or threatening behaviour, which he has strongly rejected.

The Italian dancer has been on the BBC One celebrity dancing show since 2015 when he reached the grand final with Coronation Street star Georgia May Foote. He later won the show in 2021 with EastEnders star Rose Ayling-Ellis, and was last paired with Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington, who withdrew from the competition in 2023 citing "personal reasons".

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But Giovanni has since been subject to a number of allegations regarding his conduct in the training room. He previously rejected allegations of “abusive or threatening behaviour” and said he looks “forward to clearing my name”.

He has since issued a fresh statement on Sunday morning (June 16) and said he is “co-operating fully” with an ongoing BBC investigation and is looking forward to “clearing my name and establishing the truth”. The star wrote: “To my fans and followers,

"Every week, there are totally untrue stories about me in the media. As you