Anton du Beke has broken his silence on the possibility of his friend and former Strictly Come Dancing colleague Giovanni Pernice returning to the BBC dance show this year
Anton Du Beke has opened up about his mate Giovanni Pernice, sharing his thoughts on whether the professional dancer should make a TV comeback. The Strictly Come Dancing judge and dance pro was chatting with Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid on Monday 24 February’s Good Morning Britain, where he also talked about his golf podcast venture. During the conversation, Anton touched on his friendship with Giovanni Pernice, who stepped back from the Strictly spotlight last year amid some controversy over his conduct in past seasons.
Off the dance floor, Anton and Giovanni are tight-knit pals, having co-hosted BBC travel shows like Anton and Giovanni’s Adventures in Sicily and Anton and Giovanni’s Adventures in Spain. Plus, they’re gearing up to hit the road with their stage show Anton and Giovanni: Together Again, set to tour from June.
While Anton’s GMB appearance was primarily to discuss his passion for golf and his new podcast gig with Sky Sports presenter Sarah Stirk, Richard Madeley couldn’t help but steer the topic towards Anton’s former Strictly comrade.
Richard broached a delicate subject, saying, “I’ve got a slightly tricky question for you,” before diving in: “It’s been reported that you personally would welcome Giovanni Pernice back onto Strictly. We know that the BBC upheld six bullying complaints against him, didn’t uphold others, but you would welcome him back. That’s sticking your head above the parapet. Why would you do that?” reports the Mirror.
“That’s a very good question,” Anton remarked, before dodging the issue at hand, saying “I’d prefer to be talking about the golf.”
He then added, “I was delighted for Giovanni this autumn because he went over to Italy and did the Strictly Come Dancing there and he won with the brilliant Bianca [actress Bianca Guaccero]. He was delighted to win that and we’re going off on tour this summer so I’ll be seeing him when we go back out on the road.”
“I love being on stage with him and performing with him and I’ve known him a long time. We’ve got a wonderful company as well, so all in all, it’s a great show.”
Just last month, Giovanni had discussed the potential of returning to the Strictly dance floor after he decided to step down from the 2024 series. His withdrawal followed complaints from his 2023 dance partner Amanda Abbington who claimed she suffered because of his actions.
Amanda alleged Giovanni Pernice promoted a “toxic environment” and claimed he inflicted “inappropriate, mean, nasty bullying”. The Italian dance star disputed the implication of hostile and menacing actions, agreeing with results from a subsequent BBC probe into the incidents, which supported “some, but not all” of Amanda’s claims.
Although there were no claims of physical aggression, there were acknowledgments of alleged verbal bullying and harassment. In an interview with Heat, the 34 year old expressed his feelings about potentially returning to Strictly: “I would love to go back on Strictly but I don’t think they’re going to have me on again.”
He continued, “It wasn’t the most pleasant situation for me. I’m very happy that it’s finished and everybody can move on with their lives.”