Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice has allegedly "blocked the release of rehearsal tapes" with Sherlock star Amanda Abbington.

This comes after his former show partner requested the release of the behind-the-scenes footage after rumours of a feud between the pair.

The 52-year-old actress joined the show in 2023 before quitting the ballroom programme early because of "medical reasons".

However, she later claimed that the experience left her with PTSD with the star reportedly telling friends that Giovanni's training methods were "abrasive".

Giovanni Pernice has since denied allegations that he was "threatening and abusive" to the star.

He told fans: “You will be as surprised as I am that allegations have been made about my dance teaching methods in the media this week. Of course, I reject any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour, and I look forward to clearing my name.

"Those who have followed my journey on Strictly Come Dancing over the last decade will know that I am passionate and competitive. No-one is more ambitious for my dance partners than me."

Strictly Come Dancing's Giovanni Pernice 'blocks release of rehearsal tapes' with Amanda Abbington

After Amanda Abbington demanded the release of her training footage, the BBC reportedly launched an investigation into his behaviour.

This came after three of his former partners, including Laura Whitmore, said they had a "difficult time on the show".

It has now been reported that Giovanni blocked the release of the footage with a source in The Sun saying: "It raises the question, ‘What has he got to hide?’. It doesn’t look good."

According to the insider, the BBC "decided to withhold it completely at his request."

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They added: "She was told they couldn’t just hand over the tapes to her because they feature another person, Giovanni, not just her. He’s entitled for private ­information or content about him not to be disclosed without his authorisation."

When asked by Newsquest about the reports, the BBC said: "We don’t have a comment on this."

Newsquest has also reached out to Giovanni Pernice's management for comment.