Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice has finally broken his silence since it was announced he would not be returning to the BBC dance competition, amid the ongoing "bullying" investigation from the BBC.
For months, there have been reports that Pernice's "militant" training techniques led his former partner Amanda Abbington to claim she suffered PTSD from their time together.
After allegedly having her foot stamped on by the Italian dancer, she left the series in week five and requested to have access to all the tapes of their training sessions - as well as enlisting the help of a lawyer.
When the claims were first made, Pernice vehemently denied the accusations and posted on his Instagram that he was determined to put the rumours to rest and clear his name.
Since then, he has not made any comments regarding the investigation - despite Abbington previously branding him "nasty" and claiming that she was the one who requested for their sessions to be taped, not the other way around as Pernice suggested.
The 33-year-old has been active on his social media but has been busy promoting his fragrance brand, candle brand and kicking off his new tour alongside Strictly co-star and judge Anton Du Beke.
However, over the weekend, the Latin and Ballroom champion released another statement where he revealed he was "cooperating fully" with the BBC's investigation and stood firm on the fact he was going to "clear my name".
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.
"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 for your continued support - your messages and love mean so very much to me. I will hopefully see many of you soon and I look forward to clearing my name. With love, Giovanni."
GB News has contacted Pernice's representatives for a comment.
The update comes after many fans have claimed they worked out thata new male professional will be brought onto the show to replace Pernice, with there currently being nine female professionals and seven male professionals.
The returning women are Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Amy Dowden, Katya Jones, Luba Mushtuk, Jowita Przystal, Nancy Xu, Lauren Oakley, and Michelle Tsiakkas.
For the men, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Gorka Marquez, Johannes Radebe, Kai Widdrington, Carlos Gu, and Vito Coppola will also be back.
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Whilst Pernice released a statement on his social media, Abbington recently returned to BBC viewers' screens as she made an appearance in the final ever episode of Inside No. 9.
Fans of the show and Abbington were thrilled to see her back acting, as one X user commented: "Seeing Amanda Abbington back on my screen brings me such joy! What a woman and actress."
Another added: "Oh how I have missed seeing Amanda on my screen! Recently re-watched Sherlock and she never fails to impress with her skills."
"Amanda Abbington is FINALLY back on my screen! Hoorah!" someone else said before a fourth quipped: "Inside No. 9 final was everything and more! To top it off Amanda Abbington was in it too! Good day all round." (sic)
