Giovanni Pernice has reportedly decided to quit Strictly Come Dancing after nine series on the show.
The 33-year-old is said to be facing allegations from three former celebrity partners on the show who were unhappy with his intense training sessions - including actress Amanda Abbington, who quit a few weeks in to last year's run.
The BBC had been keen to bring the Italian back for this year's series but according to The Sun, he has taken the decision himself not to return.
A source told the newspaper: "Gio feels the scrutiny on him has become too much, and now is the time to make a fresh start.
"He wants to focus on other TV projects, and feels he's achieved all he can on Strictly, having won the trophy back in 2021 and reaching the final an unprecedented four times.
"He remains adamant he's done nothing wrong other than being a hard taskmaster, but knows his style of training isn't to everyone's liking — especially in this day and age.
"He has a lot of other exciting projects in the pipeline right now, and he's just super-excited to get cracking on them. This, now, is his priority."
A BBC spokesperson said: "The Professional Dancers for Strictly Come Dancing 2024 will be announced in due course."
Pernice joined Strictly in 2015, winning the contest in 2021 with Rose Ayling-Ellis. body check tags ::
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