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Privacy NoticeGiovanni Pernice has finally broken his silence on the Strictly Come Dancing controversy involving actress Amanda Abbington in his first TV interview. The Italian dance maestro decided it was time to “set the record straight” and shared his side of events in an explosive chat with stand-in presenter Christine Lampard on ITV’s Lorraine. Giovanni did not shy away from speaking his mind on the daytime TV set. Although he acknowledged his training style might be considered “strict” he insisted: “Me and Amanda never had an argument.” Baffled by some of the allegations presented to BBC chiefs, Giovanni firmly refuted any suggestions that he had been “aggressive” toward Amanda. While admitting to moments of “frustration,” he explained to Christine that it was only because Amanda was an “brilliant” and “talented dancer”, whom he was merely pushing to reach her “full potential”, reports the Mirror. Following a thorough examination by senior figures at the BBC, it was concluded through their complaints process that instances of verbal bullying and harassment were proven ‘true’, though claims of physical assertiveness were dismissed.
Giovanni said, ‘I agree with the BBC, it’s good that Amanda came forward to talk about something that happened’
(Image: ITV screengrab)
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Despite the BBC issuing an apology, the Sherlock star dismissed their expressions of regret as “vindication” for her grievances and expressed hope that others would feel “more confident” in coming forward with their concerns. Giovanni revealed he felt “relieved” after being cleared of allegations made by Amanda that he was “threatening and abusive” which were proven unfounded. Christine delved into the heart of the matter, asking: “So where was the disconnect? What happened here? So for her to say that you were ‘a bully’, you’re clearly not thinking that are you?” Defending his reputation, Giovanni responded to Christine: “First of all the investigation didn’t find me to be a bully and that’s exactly why I feel relieved now and it’s important to put that straight because ‘bully’ is a big word.”
Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice were partnered together in 2023
(Image: BBC)
Reflecting on their time together on Strictly, Giovanni shared: “At that time, and as I said before, everything was great. All I had was ‘Giovanni you’re an amazing teacher’ and ‘Giovanni you’re great’ and then Amanda said she left because of ‘health conditions’.” He pondered over what might have led to the fallout, recounting the last “message” he sent to Amanda before the issue escalated and a formal complaint was made. Giovanni recounted the supportive words he offered Amanda: “And the last message I had with Amanda was ‘please let me know how this goes, I want to help you. So the last message I sent to her was ‘I will fund for you a doctor, please let’s sort this out because it is more important than any steps.’ This was the last message and last conversation with Amanda.”Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnChristine LampardGiovanni PerniceLorraineStrictly Come Dancing
