Giovanni Pernice has been hit by claims he left another celebrity partner “in tears”, ahead of crunch talks with Strictly Come Dancing bosses this week.
According to The Sun, pop star Faye Tozer broke down on the set of the spin-off show, It Takes Two, back in 2018 after she admitted that she was struggling with training.
Insiders have claimed Giovanni’s “fiercely competitive” nature left the Steps singer feeling emotional.
A second source said: “They did often clash and she was in tears on It Takes Two. She found how he spoke to her abrasive.”
Giovanni is due to meet with show bosses on Thursday to discuss his future, but it’s understood the dancer is being backed by the BBC – despite claims about his behaviour behind the scenes.
A source said: “Giovanni has a meeting with Strictly on Thursday about his return later this year. They have not received any official complaints and are backing him.
“He is an accomplished pro dancer and it’s expected he will be taking his place in the formal line-up when it’s announced later this month.”
The professional dancer is currently in the hot seat as three of his ex-dance partners reportedly met to discuss their difficult experiences working with him in February.
Sources have claimed that Amanda Abbington, Ranvir Singh and Laura Whitmore had an “emotional summit” where they “compared notes” about Giovanni.
A source close to the trio told the Daily Mail: “They are very unhappy with the way the BBC are handling this.”
“It’s one thing saying they are standing by him, but they feel as if Giovanni is being promoted and pushed centre stage in a bid to make them go away and keep quiet. It’s a kick in the teeth.”
“One of the reasons they wanted to meet up was to try and work on a way forward because they have no intention of just backing down and letting this just fade away,” the source explained.
“All three have been impacted in different ways by what happened and they’ve agreed to speak again about how best they can get something done about it because they are genuinely worried about want went on and the fact someone else could end up experiencing what they went through.”
“But right now there’s a feeling that Gio is pretty much untouchable – especially given he is so close to Anton who thinks the world of him and can’t believe the stuff he’s been hearing claimed about his mate.”
Last week, Giovanni broke his silence on working with Amanda, following months of speculation surrounding their partnership on the show.
He said: “It’s a shame because, in my opinion, she could have gone all the way. 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. If you’re a professional dancer on one of these shows, you have to get these people looking the best they can on Saturday night.”
