A STRICTLY dancer is said to have needed three months of therapy after appearing on the show with under-fire pro Giovanni Pernice. The claim comes just days after a male celebrity joined a group of female stars complaining about his behaviour. The man who came forwards, who has not been identified, has already been in touch with lawyers acting for the other complainants amid an internal BBC review .
And a source last night said: “One of the dancers on the show found it so traumatising that they sought professional help. “The show is unlike anything else on TV . The pressure on those taking part is huge and shouldn’t be under-estimated.
“But Giovanni ’s demanding behaviour behind the scenes took it up a notch and caused significant emotional distress. "They were so upset by what happened they needed counselling to recover from the toll it took.” We had already revealed Gio, 33, is quitting.
The Sicilian pro has been questioned over his “brutal, taskmaster training methods”. Within 24 hours of our story, legal firm Carter Ruck confirmed the BBC had launched a probe into workplace misconduct. Three of the dancer’s former partners — believed to be Amanda Abbington , Laura Whitmore and Michelle Visage — have all contacted Carter Ruck.
Sherlock actress Amanda, 52, who quit last year’s series early, said she had suffered mild PTSD from working with Gio. Speaking for the first time about it, she said: “Giovanni is nasty. He was awful to a few of us, a group .
