Strictly’s Giovanni Pernice has broken his silence amid his “feud” with former dance partner Amanda Abbington.
The pro-dancer has come under fire after the Sherlock star claimed she suffered PTSD after her time on the show.
The 51-year-old actress is reportedly seeking legal advice because of Giovanni’s alleged behaviour towards her.
The actress has also reportedly requested the footage of their dance rehearsals to back up her claims.
Taking to Instagram on Thursday night, Giovanni thanked his followers for their support over the past few days.
He wrote: “I just want 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 you. GIO.”
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Giovanni also announced the start of his new live tour, Let Me Entertain You, in his post.
Amanda dramatically quit Strictly Come Dancing in October for “personal reasons”, and at the time there seemed to be no bad blood between them.
The pro dancer paid tribute to her in a post at the time, and wrote: “Amanda, I am so sad we can’t continue but I am proud of what we achieved and I am sending you so much love.”
The actress isn’t the first star to clash with him, as his former dance partner and Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh also admitted to being a “bit scared” of the Italian.
It was also later revealed that Ranvir complained to the BBC about his behaviour.
Irish presenter Laura Whitmore also claimed she was left feeling “extremely uncomfortable’ during her time working with Giovanni, and that she “cried every day.”
According to The Sun, BBC bosses had a meeting with the dancer as per Amanda’s request but are said to be standing by the pro-dancer.
A source told the news outlet: “Some of the professionals and crew feel it needs to be dealt with and Giovanni shouldn’t come back this year.”
“The BBC are standing behind Giovanni and won’t be pursing an investigation, it’s a shock to some on the show.”
