6 days Ago By [email protected] (Joseph Wilkes)
Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Penice may be seen back on the hit BBC show next month, according to reports. This is despite his former dance partner Amanda Abbington reportedly attempting to have him cancelled from the show, the Mail reports tonight. Italian Giovanni was forced out of the show after his former dance partner Amanda made a series of bullying allegations against him.
And now the Mail on Sunday claims Giovanni will be one of the Strictly veterans to feature in a celebratory 20th anniversary special. The paper claims that Strictly bosses have been insisting that Giovanni plays a starring role in the special show, which is set to be broadcast on December 21. Giovanni was a long-running feature on the show and won a Bafta for won a Bafta for ‘Memorable Moment’ when he and deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis performed a powerful silent dance to Clean Bandit's Symphony in 2021.
A BBC insider told the Mail: “Given his impact, particularity for the Bafta win – which was voted for by the public – it is only the obtuse who would think that Giovanni should not be included in the 20th-year reflections in some form. “Giovanni has made an immense impact on Strictly and will absolutely not be erased from Strictly Come Dancing's history. What he and Rose did was incredible and just because Amanda has come along and made allegations, many of which were not upheld, does not change that.
“Strictly's bosses love Gio, they feel strongly about what happened, and they see it as only right that he is celebrated. Amanda may have met with the BBC recently, when she aired her views about Giovanni and the show, but Strictly still adores Gio and its bosses know that viewers will be thrilled to see him back.” Sherlock actress Amanda, 52, is reported to be against the idea of Giovanni, 34, returning for the one-off show, but rumours abound that he may even be being lined up to rejoin the main cast for the main show.
Giovanni insists he did not bully 2023 contestant Amanda, who accused him of unprofessional behaviour behind-the-scenes of the show. While an internal BBC investigation eventually cleared the star of wrongdoing, other past participants of the show and in the dance world have also spoken out against the star to accuse him of being overly intense during training. The star himself did not return to Strictly amid the turmoil - but some fans hoped he may be able to make a comeback after the BBC cleared him.
Instead of featuring on Strictly this year, Giovanni has returned to his native Italy to compete on Ballando con le Stelle - the Italian version of the show which translates to Dancing With The Stars. The BBC upheld six out of 17 of Ms Abbington's claims in September, and the Sicilian was cleared of her most serious allegations..
