Strictly‘s The Professionals tour has reportedly been axed amid the Giovanni Pernice misconduct investigation.
The results of the the £250,000 investigation are set to be released just days before the 20th anniversary series is due to start.
And now a source who worked on the live stage productions has revealed to The Sun that the tour was cancelled after the allegations, which include workplace bullying.
They told the publication: ‘Strictly is trying to rebuild as a brand and The Professionals tour was known as a hotbed of drinking and fun.
‘The pro dancers work hard and play hard but with everything that’s happened recently, it seems axing it eliminates the chance of any further issues.
Strictly ‘s The Professionals tour has reportedly been axed amid the Giovanni Pernice misconduct investigation
The results of the the £250,000 investigation are set to be released just days before the 20th anniversary series is due to start
‘The people who usually work on The Professionals tour have been told it’s cancelled.’
MailOnline have contacted BBC representatives for comment.
The Professionals show took part over spring and summer after the Strictly Live! tour earlier in the year which features both the pros and their celebrity partners.
Put on by BBC Studios, the tour is choreographed by Strictly’s creative director Jason Gilkison and features pros from the show including Nadiya Bychkova, Vitto Coppola, Katya Jones, Neil Jones and Luba Mushtuck.
Giovanni has also previously taken part in the tour before he was suspended while a BBC probe is conducted over claims of off-camera misconduct made by his partner Amanda Abbington, 50, and two other former celebrity dance partners.
Giovanni has vehemently denied the allegations.
The investigation is due to be published in the coming days, and BBC staff have reportedly had their emails, texts and WhatsApps examined as part of the bullying probe.
Members of the crew have had their phones searched for references to Giovanni or Amanda in a bid to gather evidence.
Amanda previously said she would ‘cry and vomit’ after returning home from rehearsals with Giovanni
Members of the crew have had their phones searched for references to Giovanni or Amanda in a bid to gather evidence
The Mirror has revealed the subject access request is understood to have been made to the BBC by Amanda’s team, to provide any personal data or information that might shed light on her and Giovanni’s relationship.
A source told the publication: ‘People complied with it in the hope that it shoots down any claims of a cover-up.’
Amanda previously said she would ‘cry and vomit’ after returning home from rehearsals with Giovanni.
Speaking to The Times, Abbington claims she has since received death threats from fans of the Italian dancer, whose long-term future on Strictly remains uncertain.
She said: ‘I’ve had the worst experience. The show was tough and horrible, but the aftermath of it I was not expecting. It’s been really brutal and it just hasn’t stopped.
‘It’s been awful, just relentless. Death threats and rape threats for just standing up for something that I thought was wrong.’
The actress also admitted she would become nauseous after completing rehearsals with Pernice, a fan favourite who had appeared on Strictly for eight years prior to his suspension.
Amanda’s husband Jonathan Goodwin, a former escapologist who was left paralysed in 2021 after a TV stunt went horribly wrong, also corroborated her claim of physical sickness.
She added: ‘He’d go, ‘Yes, you would come home and you’d vomit, you’d cry, and you’d think you were not good enough. You were a shadow, a shell.”
The investigation that began with accusations against Giovanni has since widened after more complaints surrounding the hit show.
It has heaped further turmoil on Strictly, which is deemed to be the jewel in the Corporation’s crown and is still watched by more than ten million people.
Fellow dancer Graziano Di Prima has since been sacked by the show following similar claims of inappropriate behaviour towards TV personality Zara McDermott, with whom he was paired in 2023
Sources have told the Mail that the accusations have prompted bosses to extend the inquiry to look at other matters, and individuals, involved with the dance series as they prepare for its 20th anniversary.
It means that Giovanni, who has already let his frustrations at the investigation be known, has faced an even longer wait for an outcome after three former dance partners, including Amanda, instructed lawyers to make ‘serious complaints’ about his conduct.
It also threatens to damage Strictly, the BBC’s biggest Saturday night success story since The Generation Game.
A television source has previously told the Mail: ‘This investigation is no longer just solely about Giovanni but other, more wider issues. The show has been going for 20 years and the whole veneer of Strictly is so sparkly and lovely, of course there will always be people who feel hard done by.
‘Amanda’s complaints have started something massive, it has opened the door for others to come forward about things they haven’t been happy with.
‘It is all a big headache for the BBC, it is about to celebrate a massive milestone with its 20th anniversary.
‘Having the Giovanni complaint has been a big enough issue, but now it looks like there is more to be scrutinised and looked into.’
Sources close to Giovanni say that he fully expects to be exonerated.
Insiders say also that the widened inquiry will now present the Sicilian star as possibly being a ‘small fish’ in Strictly’s potential downfall.
He quit the show following claims by Amanda, star of Sherlock and Mr Selfridge, that he bullied her in training, claims which he denies.
In May it was revealed that she had instructed London law firm Carter Ruck to represent her against the BBC.
A source told the publication: ‘The BBC is under huge pressure to get this probe done and dusted before September 14 when the new series kicks off’
Fellow dancer Graziano Di Prima has since been sacked by the show following similar claims of inappropriate behaviour towards TV personality Zara McDermott, with whom he was paired in 2023.
Confirming his departure on Instagram, Graziano wrote: ‘I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly. My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime.
‘While respecting the BBC HR process, I acknowledge it’s only right for the sake of the show that I step away. I am saddened that I wasn’t allowed to offer a quote to the online news stories, and I take on board the sensitivity of the situation.
‘There’s more to this story that I am unable to discuss at this time, but I am committed to being strong for my family and friends. I wish the Strictly family nothing but success in the future.’
