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Giovanni Pernice laughs off his shock Strictly exit as he's supported by judges Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke at his dance workshop amid 'bullying' row


The Italian dancer, 33, left the BBC show in a scandal after he was accused of exhibiting 'threatening and abusive' behaviour towards his celebrity dance partners.

Arriving at the event to teach a Quickstep, the longest serving Strictly professional wasted no time showing how much he cared for Giovanni, wrapping him up in a huge bear hug and calling him his 'best friend.' The BBC launched an investigation after Giovanni was accused of 'bullying behaviour' while working with celebrity contestants on the dancing show, including Amanda, Ranvir Singh and Laura Whitmore. Amanda later rubbished reports Giovanni had asked the BBC to record his rehearsals with the actress over growing concerns about her behaviour - claiming she had requested their dance practices to be filmed, not him.

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