Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice has revealed the toll the Strictly bullying probe had on him as the ‘relieved’ dancer looks to put an ‘extremely difficult’ year behind him.
Mr Pernice, 34, spoke out after he was cleared of the ‘majority’ of allegations made against him by his former partner, actress Amanda Abbington.
A six-month probe into the star, who is now performing on the Italian version of the show, came to an end today as the findings of the BBC’s investigation were released to Mr Pernice and Ms Abbington, 50.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline after being cleared on 11 of 17 allegations, Mr Pernice described the turmoil he faced from reading ‘story after story’ while trying to respect the integrity of the BBC’s process.
His former partner quit the show abruptly in just week five of last year’s series, citing personal reasons, before going on to accuse the dancer of ‘mean’ and ‘cruel’ behaviour.
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Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice has spoken out after he was cleared of the ‘majority’ of allegations made against him by his former partner, actress Amanda Abbington
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Giovanni Pernice also released a video on Instagram after the BBC finished its investigation
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The report investigating what went on during training has not been made public
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The Sherlock actress, pictured last week, complained about her treatment on the show in 2023
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Mr Pernice’s spokesperson said the dancer is ‘relieved’ after the ‘majority’ of claims against him were dismissed
‘The majority of the allegations have been thrown out by the review. 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, which the BBC asked everyone to do.
‘I loved my time on Strictly and made some amazing memories. But now I am fully focused on Dancing With The Stars in Italy and supporting my dance partner Bianca.
‘I’m grateful to all those who have supported me at this time – I really don’t know how I would have got through this with out the love and belief of my family, friends, colleagues and fans.’
Despite bosses not upholding allegations that Mr Pernice was physically aggressive, it did uphold some of Ms Abbington’s complaints of verbal bullying and harassment.
The BBC also agreed with Ms Abbington that at times he appeared to be giving her overly negative feedback.
A source close to Italian star Mr Pernice said earlier today: ‘Gio is pleased that this has been thrown out after what has been a torrid nine months or so for him.
‘From the outset, Giovanni has rejected any claims of threatening or abusive behaviour. While he appreciates that the BBC has likely decided to uphold some allegations to avoid the accusations of a ‘whitewash’ – [in our view] they’ve upheld the weakest allegations put to him.’
Sources have told MailOnline Ms Abbington’s bullying claims included Giovanni swearing at her and not giving her enough feedback during their rehearsal sessions which took place last autumn. She also claimed that her partner stepped on her toe.
One said: ‘Giovanni has never tried to say he isn’t a hard taskmaster but he isn’t a bully.’
Sources close to the Sicilian heart-throb Giovanni say that he spent much time trying to counsel Amanda, who would admit herself that she was a ‘nightmare.’
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Mr Pernice, 34, said he was ‘pleased’ following the end of the probe, which found in his favour on all but six of the 17 allegations made by Ms Abbington, 50
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The BBC has been conducting a probe after Ms Abbington, 50, quit the 2023 series after just five weeks before making the allegations
‘The last nine months have taken their toll on Giovanni, he has kept going though. As he says, his Strictly career in the UK might be over but his dancing one isn’t. He will keep going, he has done nothing wrong.
‘It all seems such a huge waste of time, it is hard to see what this has all achieved.’
The inquiry did not find evidence of any sexually inappropriate behaviour, but Ms Abbington nonetheless said she felt ‘vindicated’ by the findings.
Ms Abbington said: ‘Despite this vile abuse, I’ve never regretted coming forward, and today’s apology from the BBC is a vindication of my complaint. It’s not just a vindication for me, it’s a vindication for the other people who have contacted me since I made my complaint to express concerns about their own experiences on Strictly Come Dancing.
‘I hope those who have felt unable to speak out now will be more confident that they will be listened to and believed.’
She added that she is ‘considering’ a proposal from the BBC to meet with senior management.
Ms Abbington also said: ‘This apology means a great deal to me. So too does the fact that the BBC have acknowledged the steps that were put in place to support and protect me and past contestants were ‘not enough’.
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In one interview, Ms Abbington, 50, compared the dance show to ‘the trenches’ and claimed BBC producers had been left ‘horrified’ by clips that allegedly exhibited ‘humiliating behaviour of a sexual nature’
‘What matters most now is that lessons have been learned and that the BBC makes the changes they’ve promised, to ensure others don’t experience the same ordeal that I and others like me did.’
Giovanni quit Strictly last April after the BBC said it was launching the inquiry. He had been offered a new contract to star in the 2024 series – the 20th anniversary – and was set to sign it.
He is currently appearing on the Italian version of the show, Ballando con le Stelle, in which he is partnered with singer and actress Bianca Guaccero.
Speaking today, the chief content officer at the BBC said a number of complaints under its bullying and harassment policy were upheld, but said she was unable to go into further detail on the allegations made by Amanda Abbington about the actress’s time on Strictly Come Dancing.
Charlotte Moore told the BBC: ‘There were a number of complaints under our bullying and harassment policy, and a number of those complaints have been upheld. Not all of them, but a number of them have been upheld.
‘I’m not able to go into further detail on that, and there are very good reasons for that.
‘It’s probably worth me just laying out the confidentiality of a complaints process, which I think is absolutely integral to the complaints process, and confidentiality needs to be respected out of fairness to everybody involved.
‘But of course, we’re also trying to balance that with the desire to be open and to be transparent about the way our complaints processes work – and obviously in this case, there’s been lots of media speculation and lots of interest.
‘So I think it’s really important that we’re as open and transparent as we can be about that process, which is why we’ve issued the statement.’
In its statement, the broadcaster said: ‘The BBC has now concluded its review into the complaints made by Amanda Abbington against Giovanni Pernice.
‘We take any allegations of bullying and harassment very seriously and this review has taken time due to its complex nature and our desire to ensure a rigorous and robust process was undertaken.
‘Strictly Come Dancing is a family show and we rightly expect very high standards. While competition can be tough, rigorous and demanding, we want the show to ultimately be a joyous and transformative experience.
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Strictly bosses have introduced tough ‘anti-bullying’ rules by instructing new chaperones to call a helpline if they spot any abusive behaviour on this year’s show
‘It is a great shame if this hasn’t been the case for everyone who has appeared on the show.
‘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.
‘At the time, although the production team took steps to address the issues as they understood them, ultimately these were not enough.
‘This is why the measures we have taken to further strengthen our existing protocols are so important.
‘The BBC heard from a number of individuals in making its findings. We want to thank them for participating.
‘The BBC has already taken extensive steps to enhance our duty of care for everyone on the show and a full note of these steps is published alongside this statement’.
After the UK’s current series got underway earlier this month, the BBC has been keen to focus on its enhanced welfare measures introduced this year, including dedicated staff members to support contestants and chaperones placed in all training rooms.
