Strictly’s Giovanni Pernice seemingly hinted at the underlying issues that led to his conflict with Amanda Abbington, months before her bomb claims.
Amanda, 51, who left the dance show in October for medical reasons, has claimed challenging ‘militant’ training sessions with the Italian pro and left her with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to reports.
The actress is said to have demanded that recordings of their rehearsals be reviewed so that she can see whether the video footage can ‘support’ her claims.
Professional dancer Giovanni, 33, who has opened up about his intense competitive nature, revealed his addiction to winning after securing the Glitterball trophy with Rose Ayling-Ellis in 2021, months before he was linked to Amanda.
In an interview with The guard, he shared, “There are no distractions. Then came the experience of winning – something I became addicted to.
Strictly’s Giovanni Pernice seemingly hinted at the underlying issues that led to his conflict with Amanda Abbington, months before her surprising revelations
The actress is said to have claimed challenging workouts with the Italian pro left her with PTSD as he admitted he became ‘addicted’ to winning
‘The first time I won a match, I thought: being a champion feels good. Let me have more of it!”
Last week, Amanda’s request for footage from Strictly was reported, believing it could highlight the Italian’s ‘edgy’ and ‘complete’ training methods.
According to The suna source revealed that it took months for Amanda, known for her role in Mr. Selfridge, recovered from her time on the dance show.
The source said: ‘Amanda has been left heartbroken and saddened by the whole experience. She needed therapy and was shocked by the behavior she was exposed to.
‘Everyone had a fantastic time, but she was really stressed because she had to spend eight hours a day with Giovanni. She cried a lot and couldn’t sleep or eat properly.’
Earlier this week, Giovanni spoke out about the claims while sharing a post on Instagram he thanked his fans for their kind words and overwhelming support.
He wrote: ‘A week today we open ‘LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU’. We’re working hard, but it’s going to be epic.
“I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who sent messages of support over the past week. I really appreciate it very much. Thank you, thank you, thank you Gio.’
It is claimed Amanda has sought legal advice over the dancer’s alleged behavior towards her and believes video footage may ‘support’ her claims
Giovanni has now spoken out about the claims as he shared a post on Instagram thanking his fans for their kind words of support
Giovanni won Strictly Come Dancing in 2021 with his celebrity partner Rose Ayling-Ellis
The dancer was inundated with messages, with fans calling him ‘amazing’, telling him to ‘keep smiling’, ‘ignore the negativity’ and some begging him not to leave the show.
Sources at the BBC are ready to fight the Sherlock actress over her claims the show traumatized her, saying she told them at the time she was quitting for another medical reason.
A source told the Mail: ‘Amanda’s reason for quitting Strictly was a completely different reason than her PTSD.
‘She told production about a completely different medical condition and they were very supportive and did everything they could to help.
“Nobody seems to quite understand what’s going on here.”
It is understood the first BBC chiefs were aware of her PTSD late last year when they received a request for the tapes.
MailOnline has contacted Amanda’s representatives for comment.
