Giovanni Pernice went through "dark moments" after being accused of bullying.
Giovanni Pernice feared his career was over
The Italian dancer feared his career was "finished" after his former 'Strictly Come Dancing' partner Amanda Abbington accused him of being abusive when they were paired on the show in 2023 and he's ready for a fresh start this year.
He told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: “I’m not going to lie, there were dark moments in terms of, you know, this is finished, this is the end of my career.
"That was one of my down moments. Sorry for my language but 2024 can f**k off. I’ve been looking forward to seeing the back of it.”
Giovanni was cleared of being physically abusive towards Amanda in a BBC investigation, which upheld six of the 17 complaints against him, and he told how he did his best to stay calm amid the 'Sherlock' actress' decision to speak out about her alleged ordeal.
He said: "Every time she came out with another interview I was always maintaining a calm inside. Trust me, it wasn’t easy, there were dark times.
"But I know what I did – that kept me calm, because I knew the truth from the beginning. I was expecting and waiting that all of this would finish and come back with the results that I wanted it to be.
"I know what the truth is, I know who I am, so you just wait and move on with life.”
The 34-year-old dancer ackowledged he was a "strict teacher" but insisted he wasn't a bully.
He said: “Competitiveness, you know, it’s what I do for a living. I was born that way, so I’ve got that competitiveness in me and nobody will ever take it out of me, whatever I do.
"If I’m on the run, if I’m on a dance show, if I playing cards with my mates, you know, if there is a competition, I’m there. That’s what keeps me going when I face any adversity in my life. I have to think positively.
"Since the age of seven I started to compete in dance competitions. Everything I do, I always find a solution or a way to make it work. I just think I am built that way. I built myself that way.”
And Giovanni has learned to look at life differently following his year of professional turmoil.
He said: “After last year where everything happened, I decided to take life day by day because you never know what is going to happen, things can change in a moment.
"And then after being down there is only one way up. And you come back fighting and even stronger, you try to find better solutions.”
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