AMANDA Abbington has quit social media after the BBC confirmed that Giovanni won’t be taking part in the next Strictly series.

Last month The Sun revealed that Giovanni, 33, had told pals he wanted to step away from the dance competition after facing allegations over his tough training methods from previous celebrity partners.

Amanda Abbington has quit Instagram after the BBC confirmed Giovanni Pernice’s exitCredit: PA

The Italian dancer has stepped back from the BBC showCredit: BBC

Amanda complained to the BBC about her Italian dance partnerCredit: PA
Today, the BBC released the names of the professional dancers who will be taking part in the upcoming series, but Giovanni’s name was missing from the line-up after stepping back from the show.

Gio has been involved in controversy in recent months when his former dance partner Amanda complained to the BBC about him.

The Sherlock actress has now appeared to deactivate her Instagram profile following the news of his exit.

Her usual social media account cannot be found when searched on the platform, with only a few fans accounts with her name.

It comes after it was revealed that the Italian dancer was being investigated by the Beeb after at least three of his former celebrity partners made complaints about him.

In May Gio explained to friends he wanted to quit the show.

A source told The Sun: “Gio feels the scrutiny on him has become too much, and now is the time to make a fresh start.

“He wants to focus on other TV projects, and feels he’s achieved all he can on Strictly, having won the trophy back in 2021 and reaching the final an unprecedented four times.

“He remains adamant he’s done nothing wrong other than being a hard taskmaster, but knows his style of training isn’t to everyone’s liking — especially in this day and age.

“He has a lot of other exciting projects in the pipeline right now, and he’s just super-excited to get cracking on them. This, now, is his priority.”

Actress Amanda quit Strictly in 2023 just weeks in after she missed a week due to undisclosed medical reasons.

After it was revealed that they were clashing behind the scenes, a ‘feud’ between the pair was revealed.

The star wasn’t a fan of Gio’s ‘militant’ approach to training for the dance competition.

After she quit, the star complained to the BBC and claimed that the show left her suffering with PTSD.

Amanda, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh have also met up to share stories of what it was like working with him.

Gio has rejected all the claims on social media.

He wrote: “To my dear fans, I reject any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour, and I look forward to clearing my name.

“Those who have followed my journey on Strictly Come Dancing over the last decade will know that I am passionate and competitive.

“No-one is more ambitious for my dance partners than me.

“I have always striven to help them be the very best dancers they can be.

“This has always come from a place of love and wanting to win – for me and my dance partners.

“Thank you all once again for your continued love and support!”