Giovanni Pernice has waltzed into the grips of cancel culture - he now must send a clear message, opinion by Alex Davies
Giovanni Pernice has fallen victim to cancel culture with his Strictly exit
BBC
It's official. After months of tabloid splashes and eye-catching headlines about the supposed war-like conditions of Giovanni Pernice's training methods, his Strictly journey has come to an end.
The 33-year-old has been cancelled within the sequinned Strictly universe as the BBC continues to investigate a campaign spearheaded by Amanda Abbington into his "nasty" conduct on set.
After allegedly exhibiting "threatening and abusive behaviour" - which reportedly includes "stamping" on misplaced feet during practice - Strictly omitted Pernice from its list of returning professionals for the 2024 series.
Pernice's farewell comes after law firm Carter-Ruck said there were “numerous serious complaints” about his behaviour, a claim he's vehemently denied and instructed the help of “reputation consultancy” Schillings to defend him.
Abbington isn't alone in her campaign against Pernice as former partners Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh have reportedly liaised with the actress about their experiences working with Pernice.
A fourth unnamed male complainant - believed to be Richie Anderson, although it hasn't been confirmed - has similarly piled in to apply the pressure on self-proclaimed perfectionist Pernice.
Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice performed in the 2023 series of Strictly
BBC
All investigations are ongoing but despite there being no ruling, Pernice is gone. Guilty until proven innocent.
Whitmore claimed to have "cried every day" when she performed with Pernice - although the fact he'd just split up with her close pal Georgia May Foote is often forgotten or merely a footnote when analysing exactly why the two didn't get on.
Speaking of which, Pernice's training methods and conduct were so appalling that Foote - who was partnered with him before Whitmore - ended up romantically entangled with him.
The slightest bit of research from the BBC casting team may have concluded partnering the newly single Pernice with the best friend of his ex would cause trouble.
Singh made it all the way to the semi-finals with Pernice as her mentor but despite their relative success, she added scrutiny to her pro partner after branding him "super strict" and claiming to be "scared" of him - despite her being written off by bookies before the series started.
The Anderson and Pernice pairing was baffling from the get-go.
Pernice was riding high from winning the show with Rose Ayling-Ellis the year before and winning an NTA for their ground-breaking silent dance on the show.
So the BBC paired him with a man who was a relatively unknown presenter to those who hadn't caught a glimpse of him for three minutes in an episode of the One Show each week and had limited abilities on the dancefloor.
Ayling-Ellis has remained out of the controversy since Pernice's conduct was brought into question, although he showed their bond with a sweet Instagram comment earlier this year.
Then there are the positives. Pernice has been publicly backed by a "heartbroken" Debbie McGee since his exit and Michelle Visage was vocal in her support for the dancer as he embarked on a solo tour earlier this year.
But we're past the point of seeing both sides of an argument and now, Pernice needs to make a bold statement.
Neither he nor the Beeb have said whose decision it was for him to exit, and it's time he told fans if he was shoved out the rehearsal room by the boot of BBC bosses or if he waltzed away himself.
We'll then know for sure whether it was the BBC who bowed to the cancel culture pariahs begging for his head without a ruling to back it, or whether Pernice put himself first to escape the crisis.
Either way, given he is capable of forming bonds with previous partners, we know for sure that horrific match-making from Strictly bosses has exacerbated things.
It's surprising the decision has been made - whether he'd been pushed or walked - given the controversies behind the scenes on the show prior.
Pro dancer Artem Chigvintsev faced "bullying claims" when he was partnered with Fern Britton in 2012. His punishment? He was allowed to return to partner with Natalie Gumede the following year.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Laura Whitmore and Giovanni Pernice reportedly clashed behind the scenes of Strictly
PA
Aliona Vilani made no secret of her disdain for MasterChef's Gregg Wallace in 2014, retweeting several disparaging posts after their week one exit about landing a better partner in the future.
The BBC's reaction to such animosity towards a celebrity novice? The following year she won the show with Jay McGuinness.
Brendan Cole faced complaints of a similar ilk for his treatment of Fiona Phillips back in 2005. He remained a stalwart on the show for over a decade later.
Then there's Strictly sweetheart Anton du Beke, now an over-exuberant and needlessly tearful judge on the panel.
In 2009, he partnered actress Laila Rouass on the show and while rift rumours swirled, he was also caught using a racial slur in a joke to his partner.
After saying Rouass looked "like a p**i" backstage after she received a spray tan, Du Beke rightfully apologised publicly.
His punishment? To remain a part of the show's furniture that's seen him reap the financial rewards year after year.
Of course, with details yet to be made public regarding the investigation into the Pernice saga, all these instances differ somewhat.
However, the fact Pernice has been booted out of the Strictly ballroom seems a huge double standard for a show marred with a checkered history.
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