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Strictly's Shirley Ballas defends 'true gentleman' Giovanni Pernice and says things are 'blown out of proportion' after his shock exit from BBC show amid workplace 'misconduct' probe

For weeks executives have been investigating claims that professional dancer Giovanni, who recently lost his spot on the show, behaved 'abrasively' to his celebrity partner, Amanda Abbington.

Executive producer Sarah James said in a statement: 'This year Strictly marks two decades of entertaining the nation and we will be back with a bang in September as we celebrate in style with our incredible team both on and off screen.' Three women, including actress Amanda Abbington (pictured), have hired £700-an-hour lawyers at leading London law firm Carter Ruck to pursue claims against Giovanni and the BBC Earlier this week a male celebrity reportedly joined the group of women making complaints about Giovanni 's behaviour (pictured with previous dance partner Ranvir Singh)

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