Shirley Ballas says she’s ‘very sad’ in joke to Giovanni Pernice after Strictly Come Dancing exit

Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas sent Giovanni Pernice a tongue-in-cheek message after his departure from the BBC show was confirmed.

On her Instagram Stories, Shirley, 63, joked to her followers she was ‘very sad’ that ‘not a soul’ had attended an event for her book before revealing a packed audience.

It appears that Shirley was mimicking a similar video posted on social media by Giovanni, 33, and judge Anton Du Beke, 57, on the opening night of their joint tour.

In the clip, the pair, who stood against a black backdrop, joked they were ‘performing for ourselves’ before the lights illuminated and showed rows of people in seats.

Giovanni gave his nod of approval to Shirley’s comedic chops, reposting her video and captioning it alongside a laughing and a heart emoji: ‘Oh I love you.’

It comes after Giovanni’s rumoured Strictly exit was confirmed when the BBC did not include the Italian in the line-up of this year’s professional dancers amid an ongoing investigation into his conduct.

Giovanni Pernice and Anton Du Beke are currently on tour together (Picture: BBC/BBC Studios)

Shirley was in high spirits before her book event in Chorleywood (Picture: Instagram)

Shirley made a light-hearted joke about their respective show attendances (Picture: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for The National Lottery)

In a recent interview, Amanda Abbington – who was partnered with him on the 2023 season before withdrawing from the competition early – called Giovanni ‘nasty’ and claimed that she requested for their rehearsal sessions to be recorded.

It was also reported that other celebrities who Giovanni had competed with on Strictly in the past, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh, had met up to ‘compare notes’ about their experiences with him.

Following his departure, Giovanni issued a statement describing the allegations as ‘totally untrue’ and said he looked forward to ‘ultimately clearing my name.’

Giovanni’s former partner Amanda called him ‘nasty’ as a BBC investigation into his conduct continues (Picture: BBC/Guy Levy)

On Instagram, he wrote: ‘To my fans and followers, Every week, there are totally untrue stories about me in the media.

‘As you know, I have always rejected any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour. The latest accusations are simply false.’

He continued: ‘I am cooperating fully with the ongoing BBC investigation, which will determine the truth. As requested, I have stayed silent, but I am looking forward to the conclusion of the investigation and ultimately clearing my name and establishing the truth.

‘I am so happy to be back on tour. Thank you all for your continued support – you messages and love mean so very much to me. I will hopefully see many of you very soon and I look forward to clearing my name. With love, Giovanni.’

Following the release of Giovanni’s statement, it’s been claimed in The Sun that ex-Met police officers are now involved in the BBC investigation.

A source told the publication: ‘The BBC is taking this extremely seriously.

‘Two ex-Met cops are conducting all the interviews and have been tasked with gathering evidence — including texts and screenshots — which they will present to corporation executives.

‘Giovanni has not yet been spoken to.’

Metro.co.uk has previously contacted the BBC and Giovanni’s reps for comment.

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