What did Amanda Abbington say that makes Giovanni Pernice think he’s won probe?
Giovanni Pernice and Amanda Abbington have been hitting headlines for months after she accused the Strictly Come Dancing star of ‘bullying’ behaviour.
The Sherlock actress took part in last year’s series of the BBC dance competition but left after several weeks. She initially cited medical reasons for her departure but later claimed she was diagnosed with mild PTSD due to his ‘abusive’ treatment of her during rehearsals. Giovanni has strongly denied all of Amanda’s claims of abusive behaviour.
He left the Strictly line-up, with the BBC launching an investigation into the allegations three months ago. Last week, Strictly was plunged into further crisis when Amanda appeared on Channel 4 to discuss her show experience with Krishnan Guru-Murthy – who took part in the same series.
Not only did she claim there were ’50 hours of blocked footage’ from their rehearsals, but she also claimed there was a “humiliating behaviour of a sexual nature.” Giovanni has vehemently denied all allegations against him. It has been said that Giovanni is confident he’ll be able to clear his name with recordings and WhatsApp messages between the two.
Giovanni reportedly gave investigators evidence from their rehearsals that could clear his name
She accused the dancer of ‘bullying’ behaviour ( Image: BBC/Guy Levy)
Giovanni handed investigators a 28-minute audio of him and Amanda speaking, which his team said shows how supportive he was to her. In one part of the audio, she told the Italian pro dancer that if she was him she “would have thrown me out of the window by now.”
It is said that the comment shows that she acknowledges how difficult she can be. Amanda also admitted she “self-sabotages” and allegedly repeatedly talked about how much he supports her all while calling herself 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.
“She would say that he was her support, that he would talk her down from her difficulties,” a source close to Giovanni told the publication. During her interview on Channel 4, Amanda broke down several times and said BBC producers were “horrified” when they looked back at footage from her and Giovanni’s rehearsals. She also said she had spoken to ‘five or six’ other celebs who had similar experiences on Strictly.
A spokesman for Giovanni 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.
“As part of the evidence-led review, the BBC has shared the allegations they have been able to substantiate with us. They do not resemble Amanda’s latest allegations, given to Channel 4, in any shape or form. Giovanni refutes any claim of threatening or abusive behaviour, and, having provided the BBC with his evidence, is confident that the review will prove this. We would urge people to wait for the review’s conclusion and not to pay heed to these very serious and defamatory allegations that have no evidence in support of them.”
