Giovanni Pernice has seemingly thrown his backing behind Zara McDermott with a rare show of support on social media.
The 33-year-old Italian dancer worked alongside former Love Island star McDermott during the 2023 series of BBC dance competition, Strictly Come Dancing.
However, both of their stints on the show have been marred in controversy, with Pernice leaving the show following claims by his then-partner Amanda Abbington and McDermott’s pro mentor Graziano Di Prima also being sacked following complaints.
Footage emerged during a BBC investigation which reportedly showed Di Prima “kicking” McDermott during their time rehearsing together while other reports have emerged to claim he “spat and hit” her.
Abbington, on the other hand, claimed to have been left with PTSD following her time working with Pernice and quit Strictly early, prompting an investigation into the conduct of the Italian dancer and others on the BBC staple.
McDermott has spoken out on the ordeal and Di Prima’s axing since the news emerged, claiming a fear “of victim-shaming” is why it took so long for the claims of Di Prima to come to light, and now she appears to be moving on.
Zara McDermott and Graziano di Prima were paired together for 2023’s Strictly
BBC
In her latest social media update via Instagram, days after posting a cryptic back-to-work post, McDermott can be seen soaking in some rays and enjoying cocktails while on holiday.
“Some moments from the week,” McDermott captioned the slideshow of sun-soaked snaps followed by a series of sunny and floral emojis.
Several famous faces rushed to comment and like the post in order to show their support of McDermott – and it just so happens Pernice was one of them.
The 33-year-old was keen to let McDermott know he was a fan as he clicked like on the post just days after his fellow Italian professional dancer was axed.
He wasn’t the only ballroom star to back McDermott either as last year’s Strictly Come Dancing champion Ellie Leach took to the comments to pen: “Soooo beautiful,” followed by a love heart emoji.
“Legs legs!” professional dancer Lauren Oakley, who toured with Pernice during his sell-out solo show, added alongside fire emojis.
Laura Whitmore, who openly complained about her time on Strictly after being paired with Pernice, weighed in with a love heart emoji.
And other Strictly alumni including Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Luba Mushtuk, AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington also showed their support by liking the post.
Pernice may no longer be part of the BBC Strictly cast but he continues to work closely with judge Anton Du Beke on the pair’s UK tour.
Di Prima, meanwhile, has returned to Italy and released a new statement via a representative a few days ago in response to the “kicking” claims.
Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice left the show early during the 2023 series of Strictly
BBC
His representative Mark Borkowski told PA: “There is never a time when kicking, or any sense of that is right, and he knows that. He knows he’s made a mistake. He apologised at the time.
“The deluge of commentary, too often without context or nuance, has provoked a pile-on that has left a young man in a very vulnerable state.
“In this case, like in many others, media and social media have immense power to build and destroy careers.”
McDermott’s reps then issued a statement of their own, saying according to The Sun: “It’s a matter of public record that the BBC deemed the conduct to be so severe that they removed him from the show immediately.
“Zara has already confirmed in a statement released on her social media earlier this week that the reported conduct was not a singular incident.”
The BBC declines to comment on “individual cases” but it has been reported that Du Beke and a female member of the Strictly cast may find themselves at the centre of their own misconduct rows soon.
