What Strictly's pros have said about the Giovanni Pernice drama

We take a look at what the Strictly Come Dancing stars past and present have said about the Giovanni Pernice drama.

The Italian dancer will not be returning to the pro cast this year after his former celebrity partner Amanda Abbington quit last year's series early and claimed his teaching methods were "militant". BBC are investigating and Pernice has denied any suggestion of "any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour".

Other cast on the BBC One series will usually avoid controversy where they can but some past and present dancers on the show have spoken out about their thoughts on what went on as well as sharing their opinions on teaching styles.

Anton Du Beke

Dancer-turned-judge Anton Du Beke owes his fame to Strictly, so he'd be unlikely ever to speak out directly against the show. But while he might not have made a full statement about his thoughts on Pernice's exit, his actions speak volumes.

Du Beke and Pernice have developed a close friendship over the years and made a number of TV documentaries together where they travelled through Europe, telling how Du Beke had taken Pernice under his wing when he came to the UK. In fact, in one episode Pernice even introduced the judge to his parents in Sicily.

The pair also have a live theatre tour together this summer, which suggests Du Beke is still backing his pal.

Kristina Rihanoff

It's a few years since Rihanoff appeared in the Strictly cast but she was a regular fixture for many series so understands plenty about how it runs.

Rihanoff told This Morning after Pernice's exit was announced: "I'm very saddened because I think when you lose one of the best choreographers and dancers on the show, as a professional dancer I can say that it's very sad because he's produced some very memorable dances and took quite a few of his celebrity partners all the way to the final. So from the professional point of view, I think the show will lose a wonderful choreographer and dancer."

Rihanoff added: "We all can be very strict, maybe even brutal sometimes, because we want to deliver a good dance. There's absolutely no way we need to be as it was reportedly said abusive or anything of that nature.

"You do have a job and it's a lot of pressure on us to deliver a great dance because if you do a bad dance we're also going to be wrong, we're also going to be dragged by the public...It's a very difficult territory and I'm not here to offend anyone, I'm just here to say my experience of Giovanni on the show."

Rihanoff said that when she had worked with Pernice on the group numbers she found him "a very nice, easy-going guy". She continued: "It can be a very difficult space when all of us professionals come together. We have a lot of strong personalities in the room. He was one who was very easy to work with. For me, for what I know of him. Obviously I was never in the room when he was teaching a celebrity."

Read more

• Former Strictly pro defends Giovanni Pernice as ‘easy-going’

• Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke support friend Giovanni Pernice

Dianne Buswell and Vito Coppola

Also sharing their views with This Morning were Buswell and Coppola - but as current members of the Strictly pro cast, it's no surprise that they remained pretty tight lipped.

Asked whether they had ever had celebrity partners who struggled with the pressures of training in the wake of Abbington and Pernice's fall out, Buswell said: "Definitely I change my teaching style with every celebrity I'm given. They're all so different they all have different qualities about them and it's about getting to know them and you really do understand how to teach them in the right way.

"So it changes year on year, I think that's why I love it so much. It's so interesting, it's never the same. I love that part about it."

Coppola agreed saying he mirrors his celebrity partner. He said: "Our way of teaching is mirroring so I know who I have in front of me and we are able to adapt our way of teaching. It's like a dress, on you it's completely unique. This one is not going to be the same as last year."

Shirley Ballas

Head judge Shirley Ballas' opinion on anything Strictly-related of course holds plenty of weight and she has given her backing to her former co-star. Behind the scenes, they have been friends for a decade and Pernice showed her great kindness when her mum was unwell.

She told The Mirror: "(Pernice) has always been to me, and I will make that clear, to me, a perfect gentleman. My feeling for Giovanni is, let them do this investigation or whatever it is they are doing and the truth will come out. I have never ever, ever experienced any ill will or bad feeling or bad sportsmanship or rudeness from him."

She added: "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."

James and Ola Jordan

The married couple and former Strictly pros are never shy in sharing their opinions and were happy to speak to This Morning about Pernice leaving.

James said: "It is a shame that it's come to this. The only thing I will say is that there's no smoke without fire. I've always protected the professional dancers and we don't know the ins and outs of it."

He went on: "There's no smoke without fire. I'd be devastated if one of my previous celebrity partners came forward saying that I was abusive or not treating them nice in training. But he's had four. If it was just one you'd say ok maybe just a massive clash of characters."

But his wife Ola added: "You're not going to get on with everyone."

James continued about his own former show partners: "I honestly believe if you went to ask all of them they'd all say they had a great time. So for him to have four of them come forward, there's clearly something there.

"Isn't the proof in the pudding a little bit, he's not back on the show so clearly he has decided not to come back or BBC have not asked him to come back. There's something going on that we don't know about."

Brendan Cole

Cole might also be a former cast member, but his name was synonymous with the Strictly pros for years and he is also known for being outspoken - so fans were interested to hear his take when Abbington quit last year.

He offered: "Giovanni is quite a full-on character, in terms of personalities within the show. I don't think it's wrong for me to say, he thinks a lot of himself, if I could be so bold."

Giovanni Pernice

Pernice has denied "any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour" in an Instagram post as he vowed to clear his name of the allegations.

It read: "To my fans and followers. Every week, there are totally untrue stories about me in the media. As you know, I have always rejected any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour. The latest accusations are simply false.

"I am cooperating fully with the ongoing BBC investigation, which will determine the truth. As requested, I have stayed silent, but I am looking forward to the conclusion of the investigation and ultimately clearing my name and establishing the truth.

"I am so happy to be back on tour. Thank you all for your continued support — [your] messages and love mean so very much to me. I will hopefully see many of you very soon and I look forward to clearing my name. With love, Giovanni."

On the other side, Abbington said she was sent death threats after being diagnosed with mild post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in January. She told MailOnline: "I asked for them [training sessions] to be recorded – it was me. Giovanni is nasty. He was awful to a few of us – a group of us."