Strictly Come Dancing is in crisis as bosses fear celebrity contestants will refuse to work with Giovanni Pernice following Amanda Abbington's feud with the professional.
The actress, 51, quit the BBC One show mid-series last year citing “personal issues”, with reports of a falling out between the pair.
But it is now claimed she has asked for rehearsal footage to highlight the Italian's 'tense' and 'full' training methods, which have reportedly caused her a lot of distress.
TV chiefs fear future contestants will refuse to work with the dancer, who has previously received negative feedback from former partners including Laura Whitmore, 38, Ranvir Singh, 46, and Richie Anderson, 36.
Amanda Abbington, 51, quit Strictly mid-series last year citing 'personal issues', with reports of a falling out with professional partner Giovanni Pernice (both pictured on the BBC One show)
It is now claimed that Ms Abbington has requested rehearsal footage to highlight the Italian's 'tense' and 'complete' training methods, which have reportedly caused her a lot of distress (the pair pictured during a practice session)
Pernice, 33, is one of Strictly's most high-profile dancers and a rising BBC light entertainment face thanks to his travel series with judge Anton Du Beke, 57, which could leave bosses with a problem.
Show insiders believe Strictly will support Pernice, but accept it won't be easy to find him a future partner.
A source told MailOnline: 'The fallout between Giovanni and Amanda is causing a lot of concern.
'Celebrity contestants usually don't care which partner they are paired with, they are just happy to be on the show.
'But Giovanni's reputation has taken another hit after Amanda's experience and they don't want to be in a position where new participants are at risk of quitting if they are paired with him.'
Meanwhile, Strictly has had a shake-up behind the scenes in a bid to tackle the intense news coverage following the row, with their current PR leads being replaced by a senior BBC representative.
Pro dancer Pernice appeared on Strictly for eight years in a row and reached the final three times.
While a decision has yet to be made on his future on the show, the feeling internally is that he is about to move on to new projects.
It is believed Pernice is already building a career outside of Strictly after launching his own cosmetics brand, called Vita, in October and touring the country with independent shows.
His highlight was undoubtedly winning the 2021 series with deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, 29, who earned praise and a BAFTA TV Award for their silent dance to Symphony.
The former EastEnders star has previously spoken about Pernice, praising his ability as a mentor and expressing their close bond, which contradicts comments from some of his other Strictly partners.
Another source close to the show believes that Pernice's reputation as a tough taskmaster is actually not that worrying, as they believe contestants with ambitions to win would be happy to work with him.
The source explained: 'There are different types of contestants who sign up for Strictly.
'Some do it for the experience, learning a new skill and improving their profile, while also having some fun.
'While others are extremely determined and want to lift the glitter ball by putting in hours of rehearsals and working hard.
'If you agree with the latter and can tolerate the harsh language and brutal approach, then Giovanni is your man.'
Ms Abbington left the show in week five of October and did not return for the final, where eliminated celebrities took part in a group dance.
A source told MailOnline: 'The fallout between Giovanni and Amanda is causing great concern' (Mrs Abbington pictured training for Strictly)
Strictly bosses fear future contestants will refuse to work with the dancer (pictured with Ms Abbington), who has previously received negative feedback from other former partners
It's been reported that it took her months to recover from her Strictly stint and it's believed she needed therapy due to the 'behaviour she was exposed to'.
The actress isn't the first celebrity to criticize Pernice's grueling training style.
In 2016, TV presenter Ms Whitmore said: 'I'm still not ready to talk in depth about my experiences on the show.
'I was placed with a dance partner who made me feel extremely uncomfortable and I ended up feeling broken, I cried every day. And by the end I was really broken, both mentally and physically.”
In 2020, Pernice fell out with Good Morning Britain presenter Ms Singh as she admitted she had a 'total meltdown' during rehearsals with him.
The ITV presenter told her co-star Kate Garraway that she and the dancer had a '20-minute separation' as things got tense during training.
It was also reported that Pernice had a falling out with radio DJ Anderson when he performed in a same-sex partnership for the first time in 2022.
Pernice has yet to comment on the claims made against him, but has posted on Instagram that he is teaching a dance class to 250 people.
A Strictly spokesperson declined to comment.
Pro dancer Pernice (pictured during rehearsals with Ms Abbington) has appeared on Strictly for eight years in a row and has made it to the final three times.
