Giovanni Pernice opened about his Strictly training methods before he delivered some devastating news

Giovanni Pernice opened up about his BBC series (Image: GETTY)

Giovanni Pernice did not appear in the 2024 series of Strictly Come Dancing.

In a candid new chat the 34-year-old addressed his time on the BBC show as he faced a devastating blow ahead of his return to UK screens.

While unsure about his future on the British series of Strictly the dancer shared another devastating blow as his TV show alongside judge Anton Du Beke hangs in the balance.

Giovanni revealed he is unsure if the programme will be renewed, saying, “We don’t know yet. The budget at the BBC is quite low.”

Speaking on the How To Be Famous podcast with James Phelan, he added, “it’s a shame because it was a successful show. We had over four or five million viewers.”

Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice teamed up for two series (Image: BBC)

Anton and Giovanni’s Adventures in Sicily first aired last year and the second series saw the Strictly duo take their adventures to Spain.

The BBC star went on to address his time on the dance series and dished on his training methods.

It comes after Italian professional dancer stepped down from the dancing competition after complaints of verbal bullying and harassment were made against him by his former partner on the show, Amanda Abbington.

After a nine-month investigation, it was reported that Abbington’s claims against Pernice have been upheld by the BBC but the findings concluded that he was not physically aggressive to her either.

Amanda Abbington quit Strictly last year halfway through the series (Image: BBC)

“It’s never been about the Glitterball. It’s always about making the celebrities look good on Saturday night,” he said. “That’s the achievement.”

The host asked Giovanni about his time training with a celebrity partner, and asked, “Have you had any times where you have gone, ‘Oh for God’s sake!'”

The dancer chuckled: “Yes, a few times. But that’s the truth. That’s the reality. But as a good professional you just deal with it and make it work until the end.”

James went on to quiz the Strictly star about how he plans each week as the dancing duo progress throughout the competition.

“It depends. If you’re a psychopath like me, yes I plan everything,” the Italian pro commented. “Because I care about what I do. But some [pros] just take it week by week.”

Giovanni has since appeared on the Italian version of Strictly but is now set to appear on Channel 4’s Celebrity Hunted, alongside fellow professional dancer Kai Widdrington.

Giovanni Pernice on How To Be Famous with James Phelan is available to listen on all podcast platforms