Amanda Abbington appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2023 (Image: Pixel8000)Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxMore Newsletters SubscribePlease enter a valid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.More NewslettersWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More infoThank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow me See OurPrivacy Notice See OurPrivacy Notice×Group 28 Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxInvalid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.Sign UpNo thanks, closeWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info×Group 28Thank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow MeNo thanks, closeSee our
Privacy NoticeFormer Strictly Come Dancing contestant Amanda Abbington has shockingly alleged that some of the ‘bullying’ she experienced on the BBC favourite was of a ‘sexual nature’. In a revealing interview with Channel 4 News aired on Wednesday, July 24, an emotional Amanda discussed her unexpected departure from the dance competition, citing troubling interactions with dance partner Giovanni Pernice. The 50 year old actress had several run-ins with Giovanni during their time together on Strictly, which are now under scrutiny as part of a comprehensive BBC investigation. Giovanni has refuted these allegations. In her first television interview since leaving the show, Amanda told Krishnan Guru-Murthy: “It’s out there. There is evidence out there of what happened in that room and I’m not the one who’s blocking it. I’ve said anyone can watch it, but he (Giovanni) doesn’t want anyone to see it, which is quite telling if he’s got nothing to hide.” READ MORE: Olivia Attwood returns to ITV reality series to whip ‘bad boyfriend’ into shape MORE TV: Roman Kemp halts BBC’s The One Show for urgent warning directly to viewers
Amanda Abbington was emotional in the candid interview
(Image: No credit)
When pressed by Guru-Murthy about whether she was referring to bullying, Amanda confirmed: “Yes, it’s bullying and it’s aggressive behaviour, there were other things that were very upsetting, that you manage in the room at the time, because you’re a woman, and you have to manage those things because otherwise, what do you do? “, reports the Daily Star. To this, Guru-Murthy responded: “I heard, not from you, from somebody else, about an instance of, I suppose you’d call it humiliating behaviour of a sexual nature, is that right? “. A tearful Amanda Abbington responded: “Yeah. I mean, you know, one of the many things.” She went on to say that she couldn’t divulge all the details about what she alleges happened as it’s still under active investigation. Further detailing her experience during rehearsals, Amanda disclosed: “It was unnecessary and when stuff was getting thrown at me I’d shut down because I’ve been in abusive situations before in the past so I recognised the red flags, so I’d shut down and wouldn’t be able to do it because I felt attacked, not literally attacked.” In reference to the ongoing BBC probe and additional grievances from past participants, Amanda noted: “I know a lot of people went in to speak to them. I’m the official complainer. I think there’s about five or six (other complainants) from what I can gather, but there’s three main people, who’ve made complaints, mine’s the official one.”
Giovanni ‘bullying’ ordeal is currently being investigated as part of an ongoing BBC report
(Image: BBC)
Abbington’s revelations came just a day after the BBC’s Director General expressed his regret for any Strictly contestants who suffered bullying or abuse, yet he remained adamant that the show will continue and prevail despite these challenges. Professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima have recently departed from the series. Graziano admitted to inadvertently kicking Love Island celebrity Zara McDermott while practising and attributed the incident to his “intense passion and determination”. Giovanni Pernice reportedly had a disagreement with Amanda Abbington, who had described his behaviour as “unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean”. However, he refutes these accusations. His spokesperson responded to the furore with a message to MailOnline: “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.” The Daily Star is said to have reached out to Giovanni’s reps for their commentary.Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterMore OnGiovanni PerniceStrictly Come DancingBBC
