Giovanni Pernice says 'it's over' after he's cleared of 'serious' Strictly Come Dancing allegations

Giovanni Pernice has broken his silence after being cleared of allegations made against him on Strictly Come Dancing.

The Italian dancer took to social media to say he is glad "it's over". Sharing a clip on Instagram, the 34-year-old star admitted the last six or seven months had been tough as he was unable to respond "because I wanted to keep the confidentiality and privacy of the review".

He told his followers: "It was difficult because, you know, reading stuff that were untrue, wasn’t the nicest time of my life lets be honest."

He continued: "But today I'm happy because, you know, at the beginning there were very very serious allegations thrown out at me but as in today, none of the serious allegations have been upheld. All the threatening, abusive, harassment behaviour allegations have not been upheld."

He explained how today's news can now let everyone "reflect". "I appreciate that dancing is a very difficult thing to do," he went on. "It’s a, it’s erm, it’s a sport, it’s something that is difficult in every possible way and sometimes you get frustrated, you know, as a teacher, as a dancer, as a performer. But the only reason why you get frustrated is because you care about what you do."

In the lengthy statement, he added he cares about getting the "best out of my partner" while admitting he sometimes does get "frustrated". However, he said his behaviour is called "being professional" and insisted he loves doing that.

"You know even now with Bianca, I get frustrated," he continued. "I think it’s a normal thing but then you get out the best and the results come forward. But I'm happy because none of this serious allegation has been upheld."

He finished by praising his followers for continuing to support him, adding "I don't know if I would be able to even make this right now" if he hadn't received their backing. "I’m happy because today I can carry on to do what I was born to do, and I love to do which is entertain all of you, because this is my life. This is what I do, so I'm always grateful to all of you and just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, and saying that I love you all and always, always thank you."

Earlier in the day, after six months of investigating Amanda Abbington's claims, bosses ruled the Italian dancer was not physically abusive. However, Amanda's complaints about verbal bullying and harassment were upheld.

Out of a total of 16 allegations against Pernice, six were upheld. Some of those included Giovanni using swear words. The report said the dancer's language could be 'belittling' towards his partner.

Following the report findings, the BBC apologised to former contestant Amanda Abbington, confirming it had upheld “some, but not all, of the complaints made”.

While Giovanni left Strictly following the allegations, he is set to appear on an Italian version of the dance contest.

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