BBC Breakfast discussed Giovanni Pernice’s exit from Strictly Come Dancing during Tuesday’s broadcast after it was announced that the Italian dancer would not be returning this year.

The 33-year-old Italian professional dancer has been on the BBC show since 2015, when he reached the grand finale alongside Coronation Street star Georgia May Foote.

The BBC did not announce Pernice as part of its 2024 line-up of professional dancers after reports emerged that he would not compete.

Sicilian-born Pernice, a former winner of the Italian Championships dance competition, was most recently paired with Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington, who withdrew from the competition in 2023 for “personal reasons”.

In 2021, Pernice won the Strictly Glitterball trophy alongside EastEnders star Rose Ayling-Ellis, who became the first ever deaf contestant to win.

The BBC recently reportedly launched an internal investigation after being accused of “threatening and abusive behaviour” towards former celebrity partners. Pernice previously denied the allegations of “abusive or threatening behaviour” and said he was looking forward to “clearing his name”.

BBC Breakfast presenter Sally Nugent noted that Pernice will not be appearing in the upcoming episode, noting that while Amy Dowden will return to the show after her battle with breast cancer, the Italian dancer will not.

In a segment with TV critic Scott Bryan, Nugent said: “Professional dancer Amy Dowden is back after breast cancer treatment, but fellow pro Giovanni Pernice will not be taking part this year.”

Bryan expressed his thoughts on Pernice’s exit, stating that he believes the dancer could return to the BBC competition in the future.

Nugent then spoke of the “great” news that Dowden was making a comeback, adding: “But the great news we want to talk about this morning is, of course, the return of Amy Dowden. It’s great to see her back on the show.”

The BBC’s flagship morning show’s reaction to the news comes after Abbington deleted her social media accounts following the announcement of the cast – and Pernice’s absence.

At the time of writing, neither her X nor her Instagram accounts are available anymore. The Standard has contacted Amanda Abbington’s representative for comment.

The British star recently broke her silence for the first time since the misconduct allegations surfaced, calling Pernice “mean.”

“I asked for them to be recorded, I was. Giovanni is nasty. He was horrible to some of us, a group of us,” she told Daily Mail+ about her training sessions.

“They don’t understand how terrible this all is. Giovanni’s fans have now started trolling me. I’ve had to withdraw from social media and I’m getting death threats.”

Abbington also claimed that she complained to BBC producers at the beginning of the series, saying she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after working with the professional dancer.

Following the uproar, the BBC made few comments on the investigation, stressing: “We know that our shows have been positive experiences for many of those who have taken part, but we will always review any issues raised with care, fairness and sensitivity to all those involved. We will not comment further.”

Strictly returns to the BBC later this year, with Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman as presenters, while Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke will judge the next wave of hopeful ballroom talent.

The 2024 professional cast includes longest-serving stars Karen Hauer, Johannes Radebe and Graziano Di Prima as well as newer dancers Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley and Michelle Tsiakkas.