There were dark times but I knew the truth of what I had done and it kept me calm

GIOVANNI PERNICE ON FEARS HE'D LOSE IT ALL OVER BULLY ROW

- JANINE YAQOOB

GIOVANNI Pernice feared he would lose everything in the Strictly Come Dancing bullying row, he has revealed.

As he returns to our screens tonight for the first time since leaving the hit show last summer, the Italian dancer admits there were "dark times".

The BBC launched an investigation after Giovanni's dance partner Amanda Abbington, 50, quit Strictly in October 2023 and accused him of being "abusive" towards her.

The probe upheld six of 17 complaints against Giovanni, 34 - but not did not find he had physically abused the Sherlock actress.

The pro dancer insists he was a "strict teacher" but was never a bully.

And now the star is determined to put the events of the last year behind him as he makes a fresh start including appearing on Channel 4's Celebrity Hunted tonight with fellow Strictly pro Kai Widdrington, 29.

Giovanni says: "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*** off. I've been looking forward to seeing the back of it."

STRONGER

The BBC apologised to Amanda in September after its investigation upheld complaints of verbal bullying and harassment.

Addressing what happened after the actress complained to the BBC about him, Giovanni says: "Even with that I was like, I need to be a better man. I have to.

"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.