Shirley Ballas says 'the truth will come out' about Giovanni Pernice

Shirley Ballas has come out in support of Giovanni Pernice amidst the recent controversy, stating "the truth will come out" regarding the allegations of "threatening and abusive behaviour" levelled against him. The ' Strictly Come Dancing ' judge spoke highly of Pernice, who is absent from this year's show lineup, calling him a "perfect gentleman" in her experience.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, she expressed her confidence in his character: "He has always been to me, and I will make that clear, to me, a perfect gentleman."

Ballas emphasised the importance of the ongoing investigation, saying, "My feeling for Giovanni is, let them do this investigation or whatever it is they are doing and the truth will come out."

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She continued to defend Pernice, adding, "I have never ever, ever experienced any ill will or bad feeling or bad sportsmanship or rudeness from him."

The seasoned dancer, aged 63, acknowledged that her perspective is personal and she's not one to rush to judgement without solid evidence. "You know, I can only talk from my own perspective. I have known Giovanni for 10 years. I know he is a hard worker. He wants the people to do the very best that they can do."

Having faced bullying herself, Ballas clarified her stance on the issue: "Obviously in my life I was bullied a lot. I don't condone bullying on any path but also I don't believe gossip because things get escalated and they are blown way out of all proportion and it can turn into a great big snowball."

She concluded with a call for withholding judgement until the facts are fully established: "So we don't judge anybody until I know absolutely 100 percent. I won't pass on the gossip unless I know 100 percent it is true. He will be missed."

Earlier this month, the BBC announced the professional dancers for the forthcoming series set to start in September, with familiar faces like Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Graziano Di Prima, Amy Dowden, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Gorka Marquez, Luba Mushtuk, Jowita Przystal, Johannes Radebe, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, and newcomers Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Michelle Tsiakkas, and Vito Coppola.

Giovanni has firmly denied all allegations against him, stating he "looks forward to clearing [his] name" while the BBC investigates the situation.

The celebrated dancer joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2015, partnering with ' Coronation Street ' star Georgia May Foote and finishing as runners-up. In the 2023 series, he danced with 'Sherlock' actress Amanda Abingdon; however, their stint was cut short when she withdrew citing "personal reasons" for her departure.