Anton du Beke left squirming over Giovanni Pernice’s Strictly Come Dancing return as he dodges probe
Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke sidestepped questions about Giovanni Pernice’s potential return to the BBC show – months after the BBC upheld six of the alleged bullying complaints.
When pressed about his former co-star’s comeback, Du Beke opted to highlight Pernice’s recent success on the Italian version of Strictly and their upcoming summer tour plans.
Pernice was notably absent from Strictly Come Dancing’s 2024 series following allegations from his 2023 dance partner Amanda Abbington.
The actress had accused him of creating a “toxic environment” and “inappropriate, mean, nasty bullying”.
While Pernice denied any threatening or abusive behaviour, a BBC inquiry upheld “some, but not all” of the complaints lodged by Abbington.
The investigation found no physical aggression occurred, though there were reports of verbal bullying and harassment.
During an appearance on Good Morning Britain, Richard Madeley asked the judge: “Slight tricky question for you.
“It has been reported that you personally would welcome Giovanni Pernice back onto Strictly, we know that the BBC upheld six of the bullying complaints, but you say you would welcome him back.
“That’s sticking your head above the parapet, why are you doing that?”
Du Beke laughed and squirmed: “That is a very good question… I preferred talking about the golf. I was delighted for Giovanni last Autumn because he went over to Italy to do Strictly Come Dancing and he won that with the lovely Bianca. He was delighted to win that…”
Susanna Reid interrupted to ask about their upcoming tour, leaving the star to once again dodge the original question: “We are going on tour. I will be seeing him in the Summer when we go back out on the road so I am looking forward to seeing him again and it’s always.
“It’s just, I love being on stage with him and performing with him and I have known him for a long time so, we have got a wonderful company as well so all in all…”
Du Beke and Pernice share a close friendship both on and off screen, having previously co-hosted BBC travel shows together.
The pair have collaborated on Anton & Giovanni’s Adventures in Sicily and Anton & Giovanni’s Adventures in Spain.
Their professional partnership is set to continue with their upcoming tour, where they will perform together once again starting in June.
Du Beke’s reluctance to reply comes after it was reported the former Strictly star slashed ticket prices for his latest stage show amid reports he’s struggling to sell seats.
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It was reported that he had dropped prices of his stage show, titled The Last Dance, to just £15 in order to try and entice audience members – where tickets had previously been valued between £36 and £135.
The Sun reported: “[Giovanni is] struggling to sell tickets and has slashed prices. His Last Dance Tour date for Birmingham’s Symphony Hall on Saturday has appeared on the discounted website Central Tickets.”
A spokesperson for the tour has rubbished The Sun’s claims, stating: “Different venues have certain ticket promotions as the shows approach to sell restricted view or balcony seats.
“We would not regard this as slashing ticket prices and is the case on the majority of touring shows.”