Giovanni Pernice flees the UK after shock Strictly exit as he spends time with his girlfriend in Dubai
GIOVANNIE Pernice has fled the UK after his shock exit from Strictly Come Dancing.
The Sun exclusively revealed the professional dancer, 33, quietly left the BBC show after a number of allegations from celebrities.
The Strictly favourite came under intense scrutiny last year when his celebrity partner Amanda Abbington quit and revealed she had mild PTSD from her time on the show.
Strictly bosses have now internally shared a document with staff showing the professional dancers hired for the 2024 show – without Gio’s name on it.
The Sun revealed the Italian star has told friends he is looking for new TV opportunities and his “chance to shine” elsewhere.
However, Giovanni’s Instagram revealed he has jetted off to Dubai with his new love Molly Brown.
He booked the getaway after completing his successful UK stage tour, and the couple have shared loved up snaps together kissing on the beach and enjoying posh dinners.
The dancer has enjoyed a whirlwind romance with model Molly since getting together in February.
He has previously dated a whole host star beauties including Love Island’s Maura Higgins, The Only Way Is Essex‘s Jess Wright and his former Strictly partner Georgia May Foote.
It comes as sources told The Sun Giovanni was feeling the heat after former dance partners came forward to complain about his training methods.
A source told The Sun: “Gio feels the scrutiny on him has become too much, and now is the time to make a fresh start.
“He wants to focus on other TV projects, and feels he’s achieved all he can on Strictly, having won the trophy back in 2021 and reaching the final an unprecedented four times.
He remains adamant he’s done nothing wrong other than being a hard taskmaster, but knows his style of training isn’t to everyone’s liking — especially in this day and age.
“He has a lot of other exciting projects in the pipeline right now, and he’s just super-excited to get cracking on them. This, now, is his priority.”
Gio joined the show in 2015 and has become a fan favourite — reaching the final in his first year with actress Georgia May Foote, and triumphing in 2021 with EastEnders star Rose Ayling-Ellis.
Chance to shine solo
NEWS to make a million housewives’ hearts break; but the right news.
After months of fevered speculation concerning his “vigorous” training methods, Giovanni Pernice has cut his losses, and quit the show that made him a household name. (And, as mentioned, a housewives’ favourite).
Frankly, Gio’s position on Strictly had become untenable.
One unhappy celebrity partner is unlucky. Four is unacceptable.
By all accounts, away from the dance floor, Giovanni is nice chap.
Certainly, he was, for many years, a hugely popular figure behind the scenes.
But since Amanda Abbington very publicly quit the show, citing “private medical reasons”- which she later elaborated was PTSD, from the stress of training up to 10 hours a day with Gio – his popularity with fellow pros is understandably on the wane.
No-one wants to be associated with a headline-stealing taskmaster, one who makes his partners cry.
In his defence, Giovanni is a passionate Sicilian, one who grew up in dance schools where crying through exhaustion was the norm. This was his norm.
But in 2024, on a glossy, Saturday night celebrity dance show, this isn’t normal.
He’s an incredibly good-looking, charming and talented performer – he has already been flooded with “exciting TV offers”.
This, then, is Gio’s cha-cha-chance to shine, solo, and win over a whole new legion of fans… not just the housewives.
Giovanni recently defended his training methods, and said Amanda could have got to the final if she had stayed.
He told a podcast two months ago: “I am a perfectionist, 100 per cent, but it comes from a perspective of caring.
“I think all of the professional dancers are in the same place.
“It’s a shame because, in my opinion, she (Amanda) could have gone all the way.”
