Anton Du Beke wants Giovanni Pernice “back at Strictly”

Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke has publicly pledged his support for sacked professional Giovanni Pernice after he was accused of misconduct on the dance show.

Former “Strictly” stars, especially Amanda Abbington, but also Laura Whitmore, have complained about Giovanni’s behavior in the training room, prompting the BBC to investigate.

Sherlock actress Amanda, 50, previously claimed Giovanni, 34, was a “bully” who displayed “toxic” behavior when the camera was off. She said she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after leaving the competition midway through the final season.

Although Giovanni has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and vowed to clear his name, the results of the BBC investigation have not yet been published and his long-time friend Anton has made no secret of where his loyalties lie.

Anton, who has filmed travel shows with Giovanni and toured with him outside of Strictly, the choreographer, has now said he would love to see the Italian star back on the dancefloor.

He told The Sun’s TV Mag: “Obviously I’d love to see him again, but we’ll enjoy Aljaz and his new endeavours on the show this year and then move on.”

After a break, Aljaz returns to the talent show this year, having last appeared on Strictly with Sara Davies in 2021. He is the first professional ever to be welcomed back after leaving the show.

“We’re getting a whole host of new celebrities and it’ll go from there,” Anton added. This year’s contestants include JB Gill, Shayne Ward, Sarah Hadland, Pete Wicks, Tasha Ghouri, Sam Quek, Wynne Evans and Chris McCausland.

Anton, who worked as a professional dancer until 2020, elaborated on the scandal, saying: “It’s one of those situations where I feel like I’m watching from the outside because it’s about things that I no longer have anything to do with.”

“So I’m not part of… but that’s the thing, you know, you don’t want that. You never want bad press, if you will, or for someone to say something negative about the thing you love,” he continued.

“So I’m sad, but I’m kind of waiting… I’ve been waiting for this part to be over and then I can move on to the new show.

“I really think we’ve gone through a period of time now where we’ve been waiting for the new show to start so we can really get on with the good stuff.

“Yeah, you never want, you never want anything unpleasant to be said about the thing you did. So it was, it was unfortunate, and I hope it, I hope we have, hope we have a great show.”

He added: “You’re always disappointed when someone isn’t having fun.”

The star also hopes that 99% of people had a great time and is focusing on that.

His comments come after Amanda herself gave a new interview in which she described Giovanni’s behavior as “unnecessary, offensive, cruel and mean.”

She said the reason she spoke out was because she “couldn’t stand by and watch him do this to other people.”

Giovanni, meanwhile, recently finished his own tour and stayed away from the press, but he is expected to return to television screens later this year…

It was announced that the dancer, who previously won the trophy with Rose Ayling-Ellis, has signed up to the Italian version of Strictly, Ballando con le Stelle.

Giovanni confirmed his TV comeback and said he was “very excited” to return to his home country and work there.

“I’m very excited. I’m very, very happy about it. Now I have to do the same thing again because now there is an Italian audience,” he wrote on Instagram.

Giovanni was one of two long-serving Strictly professionals to be sacked this year; Graziano Di Prima (30) was also fired following allegations regarding his conduct.

It was alleged that he “kicked” Love Island’s 27-year-old Zara McDermott in the rehearsal room, which he denies.

Giovanni insists that he is “not a violent person” because he only “brushed past” her.

The rest of the nation’s favourite dancers will return to Strictly for its 20th anniversary year, including Amy Dowden, who was absent from last season due to breast cancer treatment.

Anton is also back on the jury and sits next to Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse to criticize the stars and give their ratings.

It is still not known when the BBC will publish the results of the three-month Giovanni investigation, but the latest update revealed that it is unlikely to be in August.

The Strictly Come Dancing 2024 launch show airs tonight at 7.20pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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