Strictly’s Giovanni, 34, SPLITS with girlfriend, 24, amid Amanda Abbington BBC complaint drama
STRICTLY Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice has split up with his girlfriend Molly Brown, according to reports.
The separation comes amid the dancer’s simmering feud with former celebrity dance partner Amanda Abbington.
The actress quit the show and lodged a complaint with the BBC after rehearsals with the self-confessed ‘workaholic’ left her with mild post-traumatic stress disorder.
She recently met with two of Giovanni’s former Strictly partners, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh, for a tearful meeting about his conduct.
Giovanni met stunning model Molly, 24, earlier this year and she shared a cosy snap with him on social media along with the Italian phrase “Amore Mio”, which translates as ‘my love’.
However, the Mail reports how they no longer follow each other and there is no trace of their relationship on either of their grids.
A source told the Mirror in February: “Giovanni and Molly met a few weeks ago, and though it is very early days, things seem to be going well between them’.
“He has been keeping things quiet because he didn’t want too much pressure on as they’re getting to know each other.”
Giovanni has had a colourful love life over the years and has dated a bevy of beauties.
He famously had romances with Strictly star Georgia May Foote, Towie’s Jess Wright and Love Island’s Maura Higgins.
Then there were reports of a whirlwind romance with glitterball winner Jowita Przystal, which came to an end due to their busy schedules.
Attention in recent months hasn’t been on Giovanni’s love life though, rather his conduct behind the scenes of Strictly.
Amanda, Laura and Ranvir — each paired with the Italian on the dance show — first made contact on social media before getting together in-person last week to “compare notes”.
Sources said “tears were shed” as they offered one another support over their experiences with the “intense perfectionist” Gio.
Sherlock star Amanda quit the show in October citing medical reasons.
However, speaking on The Mirror’s Invite Only podcast, Giovanni called Amanda’s decision to quit “a shame”, adding: “Amanda could have gone all the way.”
Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir, 46, who was partnered with 34-year-old Giovanni in 2020, complained about him to producers during her stint on the series.
Former Love Island presenter Laura, 38, meanwhile, said she “cried every day” and felt “uncomfortable” while training with him when they were paired up in 2016.
A source said: “All three had difficult experiences with Giovanni, who is well known to be intense during training. They met in person to share their experiences.
“Their meeting was emotional but heart-warming. They now know they are there to support each other after their tough times with Giovanni. Tears were shed.
“There is every possibility all three could take it further and formally complain to the BBC, but for now they’re comforting each other.”
The source added: “Only a handful of people will understand what it’s like to be trained by Giovanni and in the industry he is regarded as a ‘perfectionist’.
“He’s been known to row with many of his partners.”
Giovanni defended his actions, saying: “If you’re a professional dancer on one of these shows, you have to get the people looking the best they can on a Saturday night.
“If we have good scores at the end, I do look back and say, ‘I’ve done a great job’.”
Ranvir also flagged an issue during training with Giovanni, who has been on the show since 2015, and said that she was unhappy.
And telly host Laura wrote: “I’m still not ready to talk in-depth about my experience on the show. I was placed with a dance partner I was extremely uncomfortable with. I cried every day. And I really was broken, both mentally and physically, by the end.”
In another interview, she said: “What I didn’t like was being removed from everybody and having to spend 12 hours a day with this one person.
“It did not become about the dancing. I just wanted to dance. I did not want to play the game of doing red carpets with your dance partner and stuff like that.”
The BBC said in January it would not be conducting an investigation into Giovanni’s behaviour with Amanda.
A spokesman said: “There is a constant dialogue between the senior production team and contestants to ensure any concerns are addressed swiftly.”
The source told The Sun on Sunday: “There is some shock that the BBC appears to be doing nothing. Like Amanda, Ranvir also flagged an issue during training with Giovanni and said she was unhappy.
“While Laura has been vocal about how she found her time on the series distressing.
“Amanda is lining up a well-known lawyer to help her gain access to the rehearsal tapes of her and Giovanni with the aim of reviewing them.”
