BBC Strictly star 'wanted to strangle' Giovanni Pernice amid 'feud' row

ok.co.uk:

A former dancing partner of Strictly Come Dancing's Giovanni Pernice spoke out about the star, as he continues to face scrutiny over his apparently tough training style.

Girls Aloud alum Nicola Roberts was partnered with Giovanni during the Strictly Christmas special in 2022, at which time she described him as a "great teacher".

At the time, Nicola admitted that her "process is quite slow" as she said she was "beating myself up and not understanding the routine".

But she went on to say: "Gio is a great teacher – he's a perfectionist - as am I.The waltz is so technical and its so different to anything I've done before. "I don't necessarily like the learning process because I lose concentration and Gio is very 'again, again, again.' But I was grateful because when I finally got to do the waltz I was prepared." "And as much as during the rehearsal process I might have wanted to strangle him, I was glad that when I left the ballroom I thought I had done a good job of the waltz." Amanda Abbington, 49, who was paired with Giovanni on the 2023 show, quit suddenly in October, mysteriously citing 'personal reasons'.