Shirley Ballas has appeared to have chosen a side in the ongoing BBC Strictly row between pro dancer Giovanni Pernice and Amanda Abbington.
The Strictly 2023 competitor reportedly "demanded" footage from her training sessions with Pernice last year as she seeks legal advice about her time on the show.
Abbington is reportedly suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) as a result of her time working alongside Pernice.
Since the Abbington reports emerged, the BBC has reportedly decided not to investigate Pernice while other reported claims against his conduct in rehearsals from other Strictly partners have come to light.
Pernice has been publicly backed by former partner Debbie McGee - to whom he thanked for the gesture - and now it seems head judge Ballas is on his side.
Ballas has waded into the row in response to a social media post Pernice shared on Thursday evening where he addressed the recent headlines and reports head-on.
On Instagram, Pernice shared: "One week today we open 'LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU'. We're working hard but is going to be epic," followed by a fire emoji.
He followed this up with: "I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has sent messages of support over the last week - I really truly appreciate it - thank you thank you thank, GIO," followed by three love heart emojis.
Pernice was soon inundated with likes and comments of support from his one million followers - and one notable contributor was Ballas.
The Strictly head judge "liked" Pernice's message of gratitude amid the Abbington reports - and she wasn't the only judge to do so.
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Motsi Mabuse also showed her support to Pernice as she too "liked" the post in solidarity with the pro dancer.
Both follow Pernice on social media while neither have clicked the follow button on Abbington's page.
Ballas and Mabuse do follow other members of the 2023 cast, however, with the likes of Angela Rippon, Angela Scanlon, Layton Williams, Annabel Croft and Krishnan Guru-Murthy among their following lists.
Abbington has similarly been given a show of support from a fellow Strictly alum this week.
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Shirley Ballas has shared a public show of support for Pernice
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While the Sherlock actor hasn't taken to the social media platform since the reports emerged, she had shared a snap of her pet dachshunds last week.
And once it was reported she was seeking legal advice over her time on Strictly, fellow Strictly competitor Nikita Kanda took to the post to share a series of love heart emojis to the actor.
Former Strictly competitor Susanna Reid and her ITV GMB co-star Richard Madeley also suggested Abbington must "have a reason" to demand the footage from the rehearsal room.
GB News has contacted the BBC for comment.
