Strictly's Anton Du Beke wants Giovanni Pernice back on show
Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke has admitted that he would like to see Giovanni Pernice back on the show.
Earlier this year, it was announced that both Giovanni and Graziano Di Prima would not be returning for the newly-launched 2024 series due to allegations of misconduct during training sessions.
Speaking to The Sun's TV Magazine, Anton said that while he wants to see his Adventures in Spain and live tour partner back on Strictly, he is looking forward to seeing the likes of the returning Aljaž Škorjanec for now.
"I'd like to see him back of course, but we'll enjoy Aljaž and his new efforts on the show this year, and we'll move forward," he said. "We get a whole new bunch of celebrities, and we go on from there."
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Anton also talked about the Strictly controversies in general, commenting: "It's one of those situations where I sort of feel like I'm on the outside looking in, because it's about stuff that... I'm not involved in anymore.
"You never want any bad press, if you like, or anybody to say anything negative about the thing that you love.
"So I feel sad but... I've been waiting for it to sort of get through this part and then get on with the new show... I think there's been a sort of period of time now that we've been waiting for the new show to start so we can get on with the good stuff, really."
"You're always disappointed if somebody doesn't have a good time," Anton added. "And you know, you wish that they did, but it's sort of one of those things, isn't it?
"And then you hope that 99% of people did have a great time. And you focus on that."
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Giovanni has denied "any accusations of abusive or threatening behaviour" and said he is "cooperating fully with the ongoing BBC investigation".
Graziano, at the time of his exit from the show, said: "I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly. My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime."
Meanwhile, Giovanni is now taking part in Ballando con le Stelle – the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing.
Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturday nights on BBC One with the results show on Sundays, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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