Giovanni Pernice will not return for Strictly Come Dancing 2024
Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice will not be competing in this year's series.
The pro dancer's name was missing from the Strictly 2024 line-up shared today, which sees Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman back to present and Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Anton du Beke returning as judges.
Pernice is the only star not to return for this year's series, with his name missing from the list of dancers.
No new dancers are joining the show, but the 2024 series will see the return of long-standing cast member Amy Dowden, who took a break last year after being diagnosed and receiving treatment for breast cancer.
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The professional dancer list for 2024 reads as: Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Graziano Di Prima, Amy Dowden, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Gorka Márquez, Luba Mushtuk, Jowita Przystał, Johannes Radebe, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Michelle Tsiakkas and Vito Coppola.
Digital Spy has reached out to a rep for Pernice seeking comment.
Pernice's future on the show was called into question after reports of an internal inquiry at the BBC following complaints of his behaviour during show training.
The Strictly star responded to the allegations in an Instagram post at the time rejecting "any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour".
"No one is more ambitious for my dance partners than me. I have always striven to help them be the very best dancers they can be," he added.
"This has always come from a place of love and wanting to win – for me and my dance partners."
Related: Strictly's Oti Mabuse shares adorable dancing update on daughter
The broadcaster released a statement at the end of May urging for "people not to indulge in speculation" amid ongoing reports about Pernice's Strictly future.
"Recently, we have seen a number of media reports about a high-profile show," it read. "We would urge people not to indulge in speculation. Anyone involved in a complaint has a right to confidentiality and fair process."
The BBC assured that any complaint made is being taken seriously, with the broadcaster saying it is taking "any necessary steps to establish the facts, whether there is a case to answer, and, if appropriate, what action should be taken".
Pernice appeared in the 2023 series with Sherlock star Amanda Abbington, who quit the show mid-season for "personal reasons".
While Abbington has since spoken about having difficulty on Strictly, Pernice has declined to comment on their partnership other than in a statement released after her exit.
Strictly Come Dancing will return later this year on BBC One, 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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