Amanda Abbington Opens Up About Allegations Against Strictly Partner Giovanni Pernice in Bombshell Interview
Actress Amanda Abbington has addressed the outcome of the BBC’s internal investigation into allegations about her Strictly Come Dancing partner Giovanni Pernice’s behavior during rehearsals. In a revealing interview with Victoria Derbyshire, the Sherlock star made further claims about her experience, stating she “wouldn’t be sitting here now” if the BBC had done more.
Giovanni Pernice has previously denied all of Amanda’s allegations, and his spokesperson responded strongly to her recent statements. “It’s disappointing that Ms. Abbington would knowingly mislead the outcome of the report in order to further attempt to damage Giovanni’s reputation,” the statement read, adding, “While Ms. Abbington may not like the outcome of the six-month investigation, she should not seek to spread false and defamatory claims.”
In her interview, Amanda revealed that since the BBC’s report, she and her teenage daughter have received an increase in death threats. Addressing the public perception of her, Amanda said, “It isn’t in my nature to complain,” and expressed relief at parts of the BBC’s findings. “It’s nice. It’s a relief that they’ve apologised,” she said, adding that nearly half of her complaints were upheld. However, she hinted at a “significant reason” why some complaints weren’t upheld, stating her team is investigating further, told Daily Mail.
Amanda shared that she is currently unable to disclose the full details of the unresolved issues but emphasized that there were serious matters upheld by the BBC. “There were breaches of all the codes of conduct,” she said, calling this past year “one of the worst years of my life.” She explained how reporting what she viewed as bad behavior had led to a relentless period of hardship for her.
Detailing what she endured, Amanda described an “ongoing litany of being verbally abused” in the rehearsal room, including a 35-minute “rant” from Giovanni, which included name-calling. She clarified that she is open to criticism and doesn’t create trouble unnecessarily. “I’ve worked for 32 years in an industry that started the MeToo movement, and I’ve never experienced anything like I did in that room,” Amanda said emotionally. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do.”
When asked by Derbyshire about specific allegations, Amanda, visibly shaken, revealed that two of her claims were upheld by the BBC, one involving inappropriate physical conduct and another of a verbal nature.