Ranvir Singh breaks silence as Giovanni Pernice 'quits' Strictly amid backlash

Ranvir Singh has spoken out as her former professional dance partner, Giovanni Pernice, is reported to have "quit" Strictly Come Dancing.

The Italian dancer, 33, finds himself in the eye of a storm following reports on Thursday that he has dramatically left the BBC One show after nearly a decade as a pro. This comes in the wake of allegations of tensions with his celebrity partners.

Speculation started when Amanda Abbington unexpectedly withdrew from last year's Strictly, later confirming she had quit due to stress and even claimed to have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following her stint with Giovanni.

Despite Giovanni denying any claims of misconduct, reports suggest Amanda had an emotional meeting with two of his former Strictly contestants - Laura Whitmore and Ranvir - to discuss their "difficult experiences" with him. It's now been reported that Giovanni has left Strictly amid the backlash over his "intense training methods", as his name was notably absent from an internal Strictly memo circulating at the BBC.

The champion dancer has been under fire for his strict training regime during his time on the hit show. Upon being paired with Giovanni in the 2020 series, Ranvir confessed her apprehension about him, reports the Mirror.

"Don't be fooled by his angelic face! He is a fiery Italian, super strict - I am a bit scared of him," she disclosed on Good Morning Britain. Since then, she remained silent about her former professional partner.

However, as the controversies regarding Giovanni pile up, Ranvir finally opened up.

Without getting into speculation surrounding Giovanni's possible exit from the BBC show, Ranvir promoted an online yoga and relaxation session on Instagram Stories. But it isn't just Ranvir who had issues with the Italian dancer; Laura Whitmore voiced her concerns about training with Giovanni following her stint on the show in 2016.

"I'm still not ready to talk in depth about my experience on the show," she admitted on the Private Parts podcast in 2020. "I was placed with a dance partner I was extremely uncomfortable with and in the end I felt broken. I cried every day. And I really was broken, both mentally and physically, by the end."

She also expressed her displeasure at having to spend excessive time with Giovanni for public appearances, saying: "What I didn't like was being removed from everybody and having to spend 12 hours a day with this one person."

Amanda has been at the heart of the controversy surrounding Giovanni, and earlier this year, she made a request to BBC chiefs for footage from her training sessions, fuelling rumours that she might be considering legal steps against the Italian dancer. Her abrupt exit from the show's latest season after just five weeks only intensified whispers about Giovanni's coaching style.

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