Amanda Abbington appeared on Newsnight this evening and made a number of bombshell claims regarding her time on Strictly Come Dancing with dance partner Giovanni Pernice
In a new, shocking interview, actress Amanda Abbington discussed the outcome of the internal BBC investigation into allegations regarding the conduct of her Strictly Come Dancing dance partner Giovanni Pernice during rehearsals.
The Sherlock actress made additional assertions about Giovanni Pernice’s conduct during rehearsals during the interview. She told host Victoria Derbyshire that if the BBC had done more, she “wouldn’t be sitting here now.”
Giovanni has reacted angrily to Amanda’s most recent tell-all interview and has previously strongly denied all of her claims. Since then, Giovanni’s spokesperson has responded to her tell-all interview. They stated: It is disappointing that Ms. Abbington would knowingly distort the report’s outcome in an effort to further harm Giovanni’s reputation.”
“Ms. Abbington should not attempt to spread false and defamatory claims,” the statement reads. “Ms. Abbington may not like the outcome of the six-month investigation.”
Amanda, who lives with actor Martin Freeman and has two children of her own, also said that since the BBC report came out, she has received more death threats against herself and her teen daughter. Amanda stated that it is not her nature to complain, addressing what she describes as inaccurate information regarding her character.
On Newsnight tonight, she commented on the BBC investigation: It’s pretty. The fact that they have apologized is a relief.” She added that nearly half of her complaints were resolved, but that there was a “significant reason” why some were not, and that her team would conduct additional investigations.
Amanda stated to Victoria that while she is unable to disclose the significant reason at this time, she would like to do so in the future. She added, There is absolutely no truth to what is being said currently out there. The BBC reported on some very serious incidents that occurred. There were violations of all conduct codes.”
Amanda went on to say, “It’s been one of the worst years of my life.” I’ve been through a lot, just like women do, but this period of my life has been relentless. Because I don’t like the word “complain,” I have had to deal with terrible things that continue to happen to me. just for reporting what I thought was bad behavior and what other people before me thought was bad behavior.”
Amanda described Giovanni’s “ongoing litany of being verbally abused” and a 35-minute “rant” at her that included name-calling when discussing complaints that were upheld regarding the rehearsal room incident. Amanda stated that she “doesn’t make problems or trouble where there isn’t any” and is “open to criticism.”
She stated to Victoria, “There were pockets of time where we got on and it was okay, which was wrong-footing for me because when you’re in that room, you never know where you were from one minute to the next and it can make you shut down.” “There were pockets of time where we got on and it was okay.” In that room, I stopped breathing, and I was called “mad” and “unstable.”
After that, Amanda stated that she was willing to receive criticism and “doesn’t make trouble where there isn’t any.” She went on to say, “I have worked as an actress for 32 years in the industry that started the MeToo movement, and I have never had to leave a job and go through anything like what I did in that room.” It was one of my most difficult tasks. I did it for myself and other contestants in the past.”
Amanda said in a shaky voice, “After Newsnight host Victoria asked the Sherlock star about the behavior. Yes, yes. It was confirmed as one of the allegations. She said, “There were two allegations,” before apologizing for reviewing her 30-page investigation report.
“There were two allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior. They received support, one of which was verbal and one of which was physical. After stating that the second accusation was verbal, Amanda, who was clearly shaken, said: Additionally, they were not isolated incidents. They took place over seven weeks.”
Then, Amanda said that she told producers about her worries for the first time “after about three or four days of being in the rehearsal room.” She claims they apologized to her and promised to keep an eye on the situation. She continued, “I think the cameras entered fairly quickly after that.” This was not a one-time occurrence, and I am aware that it had occurred to other contestants before.”
She went on to say that she “invited them over” to meet some of Giovanni’s former celebrity partners through mutual friends. She stated to Victoria: We just wanted to make sure we weren’t the only ones who thought this had happened to us because everyone else had said the same thing. It wasn’t pleasant, and it wasn’t like what the other people in other rooms were going through. We wanted to get to know one another.”
Victoria then inquired about the meeting, to which Amanda responded that she and the others “cried and burst into tears.” We all agreed that it was managing a room and taking care of our own mental and physical health there,” she continued.
Victoria mentioned the Daily Mail opinion piece on Amanda written by Sarah Vine toward the end of the interview. A portion of the piece states, “Women like Abbington are a part of the reason other women who find themselves in really awful and much more serious situations don’t get taken seriously.”
Amanda said in response to Victoria reading the extract, “I’m always shocked when women throw other women under the bus for standing up for something they think is wrong but okay.” Since making this complaint, I’ve had so many women approach me to thank me for having the courage to speak up about something that was affecting me at work.
She went on to say that women have told her that her complaint has motivated them to “speak out,” and that numerous women have embraced her and expressed their gratitude to her. She continued, “I also did it for the women who had gone through the same thing before me.” It hasn’t just happened to me; I’m not the only one who has experienced it.
“Loved Strictly,” Amanda said in her conclusion, “never wanted to cause any trouble or ruin any careers.” “I didn’t want anyone else to go through what I went through; all I did was experience something in a workplace environment that was run by a corporation that is owned by the public,” she added. “All I did was experience something.”
Amanda, 50, previously stated that she had a problem with the 33-year-old dancer Giovanni, with whom she was paired on the show last year. She said Giovanni engaged in “aggressive behavior” and “bullying,” but Giovanni, who is no longer on the show, denied engaging in “abusive or threatening behavior.” Following the premiere of the most recent series, the BBC launched an internal investigation, and the findings were made public earlier this week.
This evening, Amanda will be on Newsnight, and it has been suggested that the actress may sue the BBC. After confirming some of the complaints made against the famous Italian dancer, the BBC apologized to Amanda and acknowledged six of the 17 issues she brought up while twirling on the dance floor.
The investigation revealed instances of “inappropriate behavior of sexual banter in the workplace,” including one where Pernice made a clear violation of BBC codes by making an improper signal. Amanda emphasized when reflecting on the BBC’s announcement that coming out “was not an easy thing to do.”
In the meantime, the BBC stated, We have every right to expect very high standards because Strictly Come Dancing is a family show. We want the show to be a joyful and transformative experience, despite the fact that competition can be tough, rigorous, and time-consuming. If this hasn’t been the case for everyone who has appeared on the show, it would be a real shame. After evaluating the complaints, we have granted some of them, but not all. We sincerely apologize to Amanda Abbington and appreciate her participation. We are aware that doing this would not have been simple.”
Earlier this week, a source reportedly close to Amanda stated: Amanda feels that her decision to speak up and complain has been rewarded, and she is overjoyed and relieved. She hopes that other celebrities will now speak up, secure in the knowledge that they will also be heard.”
According to the source, Amanda “has been through hell” and “lost work” since she made her claims public, and she is “considering taking further” legal action against the BBC for damages and loss of earnings, according to The Sun. The source added that she believes the BBC “breached its duty of care guidelines by not protecting her sooner” after Amanda “suffered enormously” and was diagnosed with PTSD.
According to the source, it is difficult to “put a figure on how much she could expect” if things go her way, but up to £300,000 was speculated. After a “costly investigation” and the possibility of damaging Strictly’s reputation, the source described the scenario as the BBC’s “worst nightmare.”
Giovanni’s representative stated: We are pleased that there has been no evidence of threatening or abusive behavior during this six-month review. Giovanni is pleased that the BBC has denied the vast majority of his allegations and looks forward to continuing his work on this season’s Dancing With The Stars in Italy.”
Giovanni has joined Bianca Guaccero on Italy’s Dancing With The Stars as a team since leaving Strictly in May. The possibility of Giovanni making an unexpected return to Strictly comes up frequently among industry insiders, but Giovanni’s close friends and family suggest that he is still reeling from his previous experiences.
A friend disclosed: Some of the accusations made against Giovanni by previous partners have left him feeling like he was thrown to the wolves. Since he has always maintained his innocence, the idea of returning to Strictly seems absurd at the moment.”
“Only two sexual complaints and four bullying allegations were upheld against him, but he believes there was a context to these and that he was only joking. Giovanni believes that he could have received better support as well, which is not to disparage Amanda’s experience, which is legitimate.
On September 14, the 20th anniversary show of Strictly began, and chaperones are now a regular part of rehearsals.