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The result of the BBC‘s investigation into Giovanni Pernice’s Strictly Come Dancing behaviour has been revealed, leading to an apology for Amanda Abbington.
Some complaints made by the Sherlock star about the Italian professional she was coupled with on last yeasr’s series have been upheld – but he has been cleared of some of the more serious allegations levied against him.
BBC News has reported that Abbington’s complaints of verbal bullying and harassment have been acknowledged, while the findings concluded that Pernice was not physically aggressive to his celebrity partner.
Announcing the result of the investigation on Monday (30 September), the BBC said: “We have assessed the complaints and we have upheld some, but not all, of the complaints made.
“We want to apologise to Amanda Abbington and to thank her for coming forward and taking part. We know this would not have been an easy thing to do.”
The corporation said the findings had taken a long time to be announced due to the “complex nature” of Abbington’s complaints, adding that “a rigorous and robust process” was upheld.
Abbington suddenly quit Strictly five episodes into the 2023 season, citing medical reasons at the time. She first came forward with her allegations against Pernice, whom she has branded “nasty”, in January 2024, accusing him of misconduct in the rehearsal room.
In August 2024, it was reported that Abbington was “questioned a second time” about her claims against Pernice after she alleged the dancer made sexual comments in the rehearsal room.
Also last month, in an interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy for Channel 4 News, Abbington claimed that the show’s producers installed cameras in her rehearsal room after she raised concerns about Pernice.
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Try for free“Every Friday, after the next sort of five weeks, I would get the producer saying, on the Friday, ‘We just watched the footage back, we are shocked and horrified, we’re so sorry’. That was to my face on the Friday when we would go in and do the camera rehearsal,” she said.
“It’s out there. There is evidence out there of what happened in that room and I’m not the one who’s blocking it. I’ve said anyone can watch it, but he [Giovanni] doesn’t want anyone to see it, which is quite telling if he’s got nothing to hide.”
Asked by Guru-Murthy if she was talking about bullying, she replied: “Yes, it’s bullying and it’s aggressive behaviour, there were other things that were very upsetting, that you manage in the room at the time, because you’re a woman, and you have to manage those things because otherwise, what do you do?”
Ahead of the findings, Pernice has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. In a statement in response to the Channel 4 interview, the dancer’s spokesperson said: “We are cooperating fully with the BBC’s review process. All parties have been asked to respect this process and to not speak to the media before it concludes. We will continue to respect the integrity of the investigation and believe it is the right forum for all the evidence to be reviewed.”
The Independent has contacted Abbington and Pernice for comment.
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