Michelle Visage fought every day with Strictly's Giovanni Pernice

Watch Michelle Visage fought every day with Strictly's Giovanni Pernice

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Michelle Visage has admitted she "fought every day" with partner Giovanni Pernice when she was on Strictly Come Dancing, confirming that he is the "toughest pro" on the BBC show.

Pernice has come under fire since his most recent celebrity Strictly partner Amanda Abbington quit the 2023 series, with rumours flying about his demanding training style.

But while RuPaul's Drag Race star Visage revealed that he was hard on her in the 2019 series, she said that she welcomed his approach, adding "some people can handle that".

What, how, and why?

Michelle Visage is the latest former Strictly star to weigh in on the row over pro dancer Giovanni Pernice's training style, telling This Morning on Tuesday that they "fought every day" when she was partnered with him.

Visage took part in the 2019 series with Pernice and looked back on their Addams Family-inspired Foxtrot during her appearance on This Morning to talk about her starring role in the Addams Family musical.

Hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary couldn't resist asking for her view on what Pernice was like to work with, and Visage told them: "Uh oh. I don't like gossip, so I'm not here to gossip, but what I can say from my experience was yes, he's tough.

"He's probably the toughest pro there is. I wanted that. So it depends, some people can handle that, some people don't want to handle that. I wanted that."

She added: "We fought every day, and it was for good reason because we got to where we wanted to be, we looked beautiful together."

While Sherlock star Abbington had reportedly asked for training room footage after quitting the show, speculation has continued about Pernice's other former celebrity dance partners. Laura Whitmore had said of her time on the show: "I was placed with a dance partner I was extremely uncomfortable with – and in the end I felt broken. I cried every day."

Richie Anderson was also rumoured to have clashed with Pernice, but he has stayed close friends with 2021 winner Rose Ayling-Ellis and former partner Debbie McGee has also defended him.

Visage clearly did not find her Strictly experience traumatic as she shared how she still does weekly dance lessons four years on.

She said: "No word of a lie, I have danced once a week since I left the show." Hammond asked: "They say keep dancing and you actually have?" as she replied: "I actually have."

"I have a teacher that I meet once a week for a two hour class," she added. "I found it, I loved it, and to be in this prime of my life wanting to learn something new, I love it."

What else happened on This Morning?

Visage also had some insider information for Drag Race fans as she revealed her long battle to make the show a success in the UK.

She said: "When I did Celebrity Big Brother back in 2015, the reason I did it was to get a UK version made. That was the only reason. I didn't have any fake tan to sell, I didn't have a calendar, a book, it was just me trying to get that show made.

"But it took four years from that for people to take it seriously. I knew in the end that it needed to be done because I saw the fanbase. I saw the love and the passion for the show. It brings love to so many people."

This Morning airs on ITV at 10am on weekdays.

Read more: Giovanni Pernice

• Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice becomes millionaire (BANG Showbiz, 2 min read)

• Giovanni Pernice addresses partner Amanda Abbington's Strictly exit after she quits show (HuffPost, 2 min read)

• Strictly's Giovanni Pernice defends rehearsal style on One Show after Amanda Abbington speculation (The Independent, 2 min read)