ANT McPartlin's ex Lisa Armstrong has sent support to Strictly Come Dancing's under-fire star, Giovanni Pernice. The controversial professional dancer, who is being investigated by the BBC after at least three of his former celebrity partners made complaints about him, broke his silence last night in a statement. Addressing his fans on instagram, he wrote: "To my dear fans, "You will be as surprised as I am that allegations have been made about my dance teaching methods in the media this week.

"Of course, 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.

" He continued: "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!" The post has already racked up over 77,000 likes - and one of them is from Lisa.

Lisa works on Strictly as head of make-up, so knows Giovanni behind the scenes and has worked with him for years. Lisa - who is reportedly struggling in the wake of her ex Ant becoming a dad for the first time, did not add a comment but clicked on the 'heart' to show her support. Another Strictly star who also liked the post was former champion Jamie Laing, who finished as.