The BBC investigation into Amanda Abbington’s allegations over Giovanni Pernice’s ‘abusive’ behaviour took a major turn after the pro dancer handed in a dossier of evidence

Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice reportedly believes he can prove his innocence after being accused of bullying his former celebrity dance partner, Amanda Abbington.

Giovanni’s career on the BBC show came to an end after the actress quit the show last October initially citing medical reasons. But soon after, she revealed that her “abusive” treatment of her in rehearsals triggered mild PTSD. Her claims have been strongly met with a clear denial by Giovanni – and now he reportedly believes he has handed BBC bosses enough evidence to prove his innocence.

This comes after the BBC first launched an investigation into the allegations three months ago. Giovanni handed investigators a 28-minute audio of him and Amanda speaking, which his team said it shows how supportive he was to her. In one part of the audio she told the pro dancer that if she was him she “would have thrown me out of the window by now.” And this is said to show that she acknowledges how difficult she can be.

She also admitted she “self sabotages” and allegedly repeatedly claimed how he supported her as she struggled to cope with the show. In the clip she also describes herself as a “nightmare.” According to The Mail On Sunday, Giovanni handed the broadcaster screenshots of WhatsApp messages between himself and Amanda, where she would continuously compliment on how helpful he had been, how she liked him and also apologised to him, but it remains unclear what she was apologising for.

Giovanni Pernice believes he has exonerated himself from Amanda Abbington’s claims of bullying ( Image: PA)

Insiders close to the investigation say that Giovanni expects to be cleared of bullying, when the corporation’s finding are expected to be released next Monday. Last week Amanda said there was a “humiliating sexual nature” in an interview with Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy, who was on the same series of Strictly.

She has also received death threats by Giovanni’s fans on the back of her claims. The Mail was told that his former dance partners were invited in by BBC bosses to explain their own experiences. And so too were members of the Strictly crew. And it’s believed that they hadn’t witnessed any bad behaviour by Giovanni towards his celebrity partners.

At the time of Amanda’s accusations, she demanded the BBC hand over rehearsal footage in order to pass it on to her lawyers. But the broadcaster refused. Instead, in April a formal investigation was launched into her claims that he bullied her. A spokesman for the pro dancer said he was not aware of the sexual allegation until Channel 4 contacted his solicitors to ask for a right of reply. Giovanni has denied all claims. Amanda had also claimed that he stamped on her foot, causing a bruised toe. She recently told The Sun: “I found Giovanni’s behaviour unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean. I couldn’t sit back and let him do that to other people.”

The BBC has been under scrutiny for the investigation taking three months. In response, sources have said as the investigation went on for so long, it enabled Strictly staff to expose Graziano Di Prima’s abuse towards Zara McDermott during the last series of the show. It emerged that the pro dancer hit and kicked Zara, and therefore was axed within 48 hours for misconduct.

Earlier this week, a spokesman for Amanda said: “These details don’t alter anything: as Amanda has repeatedly made clear, she did her best to make things work. This included being open with Giovanni about her own shortcomings as a dancer and her awareness that this must have been difficult for him. For these comments to now be presented as some form of an excuse for the bullying that Amanda experienced is as unacceptable as the behaviour itself.”