Giovanni Pernice has delved into the details of his final interaction with Amanda Abbington after their time on Strictly Come Dancing came to a premature end in 2023.
Abbington decided to quit the BBC competition early and lodged official complaints to the corporation over Pernice’s alleged “threatening and abusive” behaviour behind the scenes.
The BBC launched an investigation into the dancer’s conduct while he continued to deny Abbington’s claims and its findings resulted in an apology to the Sherlock star but not all of her complaints and claims were upheld.
In his first interview on UK television since the Beeb published the findings, Pernice admitted he was “relieved” by the outcome of the BBC’s investigation adding to Lorraine’s Christine Lampard: “It’s important to put that straight.”
Recalling his experience of working with Abbington in the rehearsal room, Pernice claimed “everything was great” and that she would often brand him an “amazing teacher”.
After citing “health conditions” as the original reason for her premature Strictly exit, Pernice detailed the final message he alleged he sent her.
Amanda Abbington accused Giovanni Pernice of being “abusive” during their time on StrictlyBBC“The last message was, ‘Please let me know how this can go, I want to help you, I’ll find you a doctor’.
“This was the last message I sent in the last conversation with Amanda,” Pernice claimed.
In response to Pernice’s claims, a spokesperson for Abbington told GB News: “Pernice’s claim that ‘everything in the rehearsal room worked perfectly’ is false and delusional, and underlines the toxic culture Ms Abbington endured on Strictly Come Dancing.
“The BBC’s own investigation concluded that Mr Pernice was in breach of multiple BBC Policies, including repeated breaches of the Anti-Bullying and Harassment Policy. Mr Pernice was spoken to by the BBC on several occasions about his misconduct – but his behaviour only continued.
Abbington made claims about Pernice’s behaviour on the showBBC
“At no time did Ms Abbington regard his verbal abuse or inappropriate sexual behaviour as banter. This is precisely the kind of gaslighting behaviour which victims of bullying and harassment often have to endure: it’s these people Ms Abbington will continue to speak up for.
“Ms Abbington remains concerned about the way the inquiry into her complaint was handled by the BBC, and the leaking of the investigation Report to the press, and will be meeting with the Corporation in due course to raise these in more detail.”
The BBC had apologised to actress Abbington and upheld some of her complaints against Pernice, whilst clearing him of the most serious allegations.
BBC News reported that complaints of verbal bullying and harassment were upheld, but claims of physical aggression were not. The broadcaster acknowledged that whilst steps were taken to address issues at the time, “ultimately, these were not enough”.
Abbington had previously accused Pernice of being “unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean” during rehearsals, which he strongly denied.
The BBC stated it takes allegations of bullying and harassment “very seriously”, adding that the review into Abbington’s complaints was complex and time-consuming to ensure “a rigorous and robust process”.
In response to the BBC’s findings, Abbington said at the time: “This apology means a great deal to me.”
She described coming forward as “not an easy thing to do” and claimed she had faced accusations of being “a liar, a troublemaker and of being ‘mad and unstable'”.
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Giovanni Pernice appeared on Lorraine to discuss the investigation
ITV
The actress also disclosed receiving “rape and murder threats” and a bomb threat to her workplace. Despite this, Abbington stated: “I’ve never regretted coming forward, and today’s apology from the BBC is a vindication of my complaint.”
She expressed hope that others would now feel “more confident that they will be listened to and believed”. The BBC has invited Abbington to meet with senior management, which she is considering.
Pernice expressed relief at the investigation’s outcome. He stated in response to the findings: “I’m glad the review has finally come to an end. I’m relieved that the allegations that I was threatening and abusive were found not to be true.”
Pernice acknowledged the difficulty of the past year, saying, “It has been an extremely difficult year, reading story after story and not being able to say anything in return as I respected the integrity of the review.”
He thanked his supporters and expressed gratitude for his time on Strictly. The BBC confirmed earlier this year that Pernice would not return to the Strictly professional line-up for the new series. He has since joined Italy’s dance show, Ballando con le Stelle.