Amanda Abbington brands Giovanni Pernice ‘nasty’ and claims he was ‘awful’ as she speaks out on bitter Strictly feud
AMANDA Abbington has branded Giovanni Pernice “nasty” as she finally speaks out on her bitter fallout with the Strictly Come Dancing star.
The actress, 52, has lodged a formal complaint against the Italian dancer and instructed lawyers, while the BBC has launched an investigation into his conduct on the show.
It stems from accusations that Giovanni pushed things too far in the rehearsal room to the point Amanda quit last October and was diagnosed with mild post traumatic stress disorder.
Now, in an interview with the Mail, Amanda insisted that it was her, not Giovanni, who wanted practice sessions captured on camera.
She said: “I asked for them to be recorded, it was me. Giovanni is nasty. He was awful to a few of us, a group of us.”
The fallout from the series has consumed Amanda’s life ever since, with new details emerging all the time and contrasting claims coming from the two parties at the centre of the dance war.
It’s all playing out in public and some of the programme’s tribal fan base have sent vile abuse to the Sherlock star.
“You don’t understand how awful this all is,” Amanda said.
“Giovanni’s fans have started trolling me now. I have had to come off social media and I’m getting death threats.”
Amanda insisted she made producers aware of issues she had with Giovanni early on and added that the ordeal behind the scenes tainted what was meant to be an enjoyable experience.
Last night The Sun on Sunday revealed that, upon reviewing the training room footage, senior BBC execs were so dismayed by his behaviour they insisted he apologise to Amanda.
It comes as the BBC launched an internal investigation last month into serious workplace misconduct after receiving complaints from previous dance partners, including actress Amanda and TV presenter Laura Whitmore.
They are being represented by lawyers Carter Ruck.
A source said: “The female executives realised there was a serious problem with Giovanni’s teaching style so installed cameras and a crew member to take notes on a log after about two weeks of them starting training.
“When the women reviewed the footage they were shocked by what they saw and asked Giovanni to apologise for his behaviour.”
A spokesman from the BBC declined to comment, but asked that we refrain from naming the producers.
Last week we revealed how the BBC investigation was told that Giovanni sent a celebrity dance partner an offensive video clip.
He is alleged to have sent the clip via WhatsApp ahead of filming one of the live Saturday night shows.
He did not make, commission or appear in the video.
The BBC issued a statement about its investigation into Giovanni – without naming him or the show.
The dancer faces a string of allegations over his training regime. He denies all allegations.
Last week the BBC said: “We have seen a number of media reports about a high profile show.
“We would urge people not to indulge in speculation. Anyone involved in a complaint has a right to confidentiality.”