Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice has won the Italian dance show Ballando con le Stelle, months after leaving the UK in the wake of an investigation into allegations about his behaviour on the BBC show made by former dance partner Amanda Abbington.
Pernice and his celebrity partner, the actress and singer Bianca Guaccero, were crowned the victors of the 19th season of the hit reality programme on Saturday.
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The programme is described as "the Italian version of Dancing with the Stars".
The duo, who also recently confirmed they are a romantic couple, took to social media to celebrate their win.
Pernice shared a clip of himself and Guaccero shortly after they were crowned the winners, alongside a caption that reads: "La coppia vince."
Translated to English, that means: "The couple wins."
Guaccero, who fell for the former Strictly dancer on the set of Italy's television equivalent, shared her joy with fans and followers alike with several snaps and videos on Instagram.
"Grazie a voi, non ci posso credere," she wrote, which roughly translates to: "Thank you all so much, I cannot believe it."
Pernice's victory on the Italian dance programme comes shortly after he left the UK in the wake of a BBC probe into allegations made against him by his former celebrity dance partner Abbington.
Sherlock actress Abbington was the first of a number of people to allege "inappropriate" behaviour on the show and claimed she was subject to a "toxic environment" while she danced alongside Pernice, who rejected the claims.
On Saturday, he posted a video to Instagram and said: "To all my dear friends in the UK that are supporting us all the way, we just want to say a massive thank you, because realistically, we couldn't do anything without you.
"And I tell you why, because, the way that the vote [works], it's all about likes on social media…
"We can totally see which part of the votes are coming from the UK and you are being unbelievably amazing."
The BBC investigation into Pernice's behaviour upheld "some, but not all" of the complaints made against the professional dancer.
Following the BBC upholding some of her complaints, Abbington said she felt "vindication" and had "no regrets" about lodging them despite receiving "hundreds" of death and rape threats.
In October, addressing whether he will return to Strictly after his absence this year, Pernice told the ITV show Lorraine: "Who knows? Never say never."
Earlier this month, comedian Chris McCausland became the first blind contestant to win Strictly, lifting the glitterball trophy alongside his professional dance partner Dianne Buswell.
Source: Press Association
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