Former Strictly Come Dancing star and actress Amanda Abbington has shared her thoughts on former dance partner Giovanni Pernice's latest relationship with Bianca Guaccero
Actress Amanda Abbington has shared her thoughts on former Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice's latest romance. The 51-year-old dramatically quit the BBC dance series in 2023 and accused her professional partner Giovanni, 34, of "unnecessary, cruel and mean behaviour".
While the Italian vehemently denied the claims, there was a large investigation into his behaviour and he left his role on the show. The BBC probe ruled that Amanda's claims of physical aggression and threatening behaviour were not upheld, while her complaints of verbal bullying and harassment were upheld. The star received an apology from the BBC. Now, as the Italian continues his career elsewhere, Amanda has had her say on his latest personal news.
She said her claims were "never personal" and praised his dancing ability. She also wished Giovanni well with his new romance with Bianca Guaccero.
Speaking to The Sun, she said: "Hopefully that will mellow him a little bit. Maybe love is what saves the day I think, and if he can settle down and find love then maybe he will be a better teacher."
She went on to praise his ability, saying: "I mean you can say what you like about him, but he's a very good dancer. I hope she keeps him in line. Behind every great man, there is a great woman."
The comments come days after Amanda claimed the last year has been the "hardest" of her life. However, she admitted she has no regrets.
During an appearance on This Morning today with hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard, Amanda spoke about her new stage show. However, the interview touched on events over the past year.
She got emotional as she told the hosts: "It's been tricky. I don't want to go over old ground. I don't regret what happened. It's time to move on - it was one of the hardest years of my life." She also discussed her decision to postpone her wedding to former Britain's Got Talent star, Jonathan Goodwin. Prior to meeting Jonathan, Amanda was married to fellow actor Martin Freeman. She had starred with her ex on BBC show Sherlock.
Speaking of hers and Jonathan's plans to postpone their big day to 2026, she said: "We just want to get this year out of the way. we still have things hanging over us in terms of litigation. We want to get this year out of the way."
Giovanni, meanwhile, has seemingly left the door open for a potential Strictly return in the future. Speaking to Heat, he said: "I would love to go back on Strictly but I don't think they're going to have me on again. It wasn't the most pleasant situation for me. I'm very happy that it's finished and everybody can move on with their lives."
