Debbie McGee has publicly supported Giovanni Pernice following his departure from Strictly Come Dancing, describing him as a "great teacher" during an appearance on ITV's Lorraine.
The Italian professional dancer left the BBC series after an investigation into complaints made by his 2023 dance partner, Amanda Abbington. The Sherlock actress quit the show midway through the series citing "medical reasons" and later alleged she was subject to a "toxic environment" during training, claims Giovanni has strongly denied.
Investigation findings
The BBC investigated 17 allegations in total, upholding six and clearing Giovanni of the 11 most serious ones. In a statement, the broadcaster said: "We want to apologise to Amanda Abbington and to thank her for coming forward and taking part. We know this would not have been an easy thing to do."
Reacting to the findings on Instagram, Giovanni said: "I'm happy because, you know, at the beginning there were very, very serious allegations thrown out at me, but as [of] today, none of the serious allegations have been upheld. All the threatening, abusive, harassment behaviour allegations have not been upheld."
Debbie McGee's tribute
Debbie McGee, who was partnered with Giovanni in 2017, appeared on Lorraine on Thursday (October 8) to promote her debut memoir, A Magical Life. The pair reached the final of series 15, finishing in second place, with Debbie becoming the oldest celebrity to reach the final at that point at age 58.
During the interview, host Lorraine Kelly remarked: "Honestly, you were incredible on Strictly. You set the bar very, very high," before a picture of Debbie and Giovanni appeared on screen. Looking at the photo, Debbie said: "There I was with Giovanni! I had a wonderful time, he was a great teacher. We both had the same sense of humour and work ethic, that's why, I think, we got on so well."
Giovanni's recent interviews
This comes weeks after Giovanni appeared on ITV's This Morning, where he discussed his own mental health struggles. Host Craig Doyle said: "I appreciate it was a difficult time for you personally. It was also a difficult time for Amanda," with Giovanni agreeing: "Absolutely." Craig continued: "She wouldn't have gone through the whole process had she not felt there was something in it."
Giovanni responded: "Everybody sees it differently, isn't it? I'm just talking factual. The investigation - this is what was upheld, this was what was not upheld. We both know what is the truth."
Strictly Come Dancing is available to stream on BBC iPlayer, while Lorraine airs weekdays on ITV1 at 9.30am.
