Strictly Come Dancing bosses have responded to overnight reports that former champion Giovanni Pernice has decided to walk away from his role as a professional dancer on the Ballroom and Latin show.
After news reports began to swirl that Giovanni, who joined the BBC dance competition in 2015, has quit over intense scrutiny for his training schedules and teaching style from previous celebrity partners, bosses for Strictly said: "The Professional Dancers for 'Strictly Come Dancing' 2024 will be announced in due course."
The line-up for the professionals is typically announced ahead of the casts' return to rehearsals for the summer months in the lead-up to the competition kicking off in September.
But when are viewers likely to find out for certain? We can get an idea by looking back at previous years.
© ShutterstockWhen will the professional line-up for Strictly 2024 confirmed?
In 2023, the professional line-up was confirmed by a statement from the BBC posted on the 21 April, meaning this year's is clearly coming later in the production team's schedule, though the reasons why are not known.
However, in 2022, the professional line-up for series 20 was released by the BBC on 11th July, around the same time the dancers returned to the studio to begin rehearsals. This was also the year they announced four new dancers had joined the show, including 2023 winner Vito Coppola.
This means that the BBC's announcement confirming who will – and who will not – be returning to the ballroom to be paired with a celebrity partner could arrive at any point over the next six to eight weeks.
Recent reports claimed that a "leaked" line-up for the professionals did not feature Giovanni's name on the list, indicating that he would not be returning.
Fans will have to be patient and wait for the confirmed list, or indeed a statement from the dancer himself, to confirm whether he will be back on the dancefloor for the 2024 season.
© BBCOver the nine series that Giovanni has competed on the show, he has been coupled up with well-known names from TV. His first series in 2015 saw him dance with actress Georgia May Foote, with whom he came second.
The Italian dancer has continued to have great success on the show, in series 15 and series 16 he came second place again with Debbie McGee and Faye Tozer. He's also been partnered with Laura Whitmore, Michelle Visage and Ranvir Singh.
© BBCBut Giovanni's peak came in 2021 when he was paired with EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis for the eighteenth series of the show. Rose and Giovanni were fan favourites and were ultimately crowned champions.
Last year, Giovanni had a less smooth sailing ride on the show when his partner Amanda Abbington withdrew from the competition. Reports stated at the time that it was due to the actress and the dancer allegedly not getting on during rehearsals.
In addition to Strictly, Giovanni has continued with his solo tours and began fronting a TV show on the BBC alongside Strictly dancer-turned-judge Anton Du Beke for Anton & Giovanni's Adventures series; which sees the two travel around European cities exploring culture, food and the dance styles along the way.
