BBC Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice thanks co-star for 'dealing with him' amid Amanda Abbington feud

Strictly Come Dancing pro, who hails from Italy, is touring the country with Lauren, branding her his "leading lady".

BBC Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice has leant on co-star Lauren Oakley during his Amanda Abbington feud. The BBC Strictly Come Dancing pro, who hails from Italy, is touring the country with Lauren, branding her his "leading lady".

Lauren, from Birmingham, received a shout out from Gio in a typed-out message alongside a GIF which said: "Appreciate you!" Gio was paired up with BBC Sherlock star Amanda Abbington last year but the actress quit the show amid a difficult time personally.

She later revealed she had PTSD, demanding footage from Strictly bosses as a result of her trauma. Lauren, meanwhile, was paired up with Channel 4 newsreader Krishnan Guru Murthy on the show as she got a celebrity partner for the first time.

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Documenting their close bond on Instagram via his Story, Giovanni wrote: "Shout out to his wonderful human who deals with me on a daily basis. Not just the best dancer all round but an amazing person!! Thank Loz @laurenmayoakley," (sic).

In an update from his tour last week, Gio said: "Living my best life!!" He added: "Have you come to watch the show? What do you think ?? No spoilers please. The show is running until may so you can still grab your tickets at giovannipernice.com."

Giovanni was backed by BBC bosses following a crisis meeting in the wake of Amanda's claims. During his appearance on the BBC One show, he was asked by hosts Alex Jones and Ronan Keating about his relationships with, and training of his celebrity partners.

He replied: "I'm definitely a perfectionist." He went on and explained: "Like everybody else, I like to win. But for me it's more about bringing the best out of partners, especially if I see that there is talent there. I want to do my job properly."