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Privacy NoticeAmanda Abbington’s Strictly Come Dancing co-star raised his concerns about how she was being treated. Krishnan Guru-Murthy appeared on the BBC competition last year alongside Amanda who was partnered with Giovanni Pernice. While some have praised their appearance on the programme, Amanda’s experience was extremely different. The Sherlock actor is said to have requested footage of the duo’s ‘tense’ training sessions, leading to a misconduct investigation. The results of the investigation are expected to be revealed soon, as Giovanni’s camp is said to be confident that he will be cleared. Amanda eventually pulled out of the competition and later stated she was suffering from PTSD due to the ‘mistreatment’ she allegedly faced from Giovanni. She is one of several of his former partners who are reportedly in discussions with the BBC for the investigation.
Giovanni will not be returning to Strictly after allegations of gross misconduct by Amanda Abbington – which he denies
(Image: PA)
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Now, Krishnan Guru-Murthy has claimed he shared his concerns about Amanda with people at the BBC as he knows “people at every level”. He said that the celebrities set up a WhatsApp group chat to share their experiences with one another but it soon became clear that Amanda’s time was not going too well, he said in an interview with BBC Radio 4. “There were messages she posted that made it very clear she was struggling and having a hard time,” he said. He elaborated: “We were all having a hard time because it was tough, but it was different in terms of what she was saying. And yes, I did speak to people at the time about the fact I was worried about Amanda and they should speak to her. They reassured me that they were on it and that they were dealing with it and were in close contact with her.”
Krishnan claimed he ‘raised concerns’ about Amanda to the BBC at the time
(Image: BBC/Guy Levy)
Krishnan explained that for four days of the week, he was completely immersed in the Strictly experience and don’t have the bandwidth to consider much else. Yet, after Amanda’s sudden departure, Krishnan admitted he felt a wave of concern over whether he’d be quizzed on the matter. Speaking to BBC Radio 4, he revealed his apprehension, noting that he was assured, “It won’t come up”. He recounted how the conversation went, saying, “‘And it didn’t. Someone said, ‘Don’t ask about that,’ and they didn’t. It shows you the power the BBC has when it comes to Strictly.” OK! has contacted the BBC for comment.
Amanda recently opened up in an interview with Krishnan
(Image: Channel 4)
In an earlier conversation with Krishnan, Amanda disclosed: “There’s 50 hours of footage that’s being blocked. You know, 50 hours is a lot of footage, and a lot of time spent in a room that was toxic. “So in the first week, I raised my concerns to the producers. Giovanni said that he asked for the cameras, he didn’t ask for the cameras, I know that he didn’t ask for the cameras, because the producers came to me and said, ‘We’re going to put in cameras so we can view the footage at the end of the week and make an assessment and see what’s going on.'” “And then every Friday, after the next sort of five weeks, I would get the producer saying, on a Friday, ‘we just watched the footage back, we are shocked and horrified, we’re so sorry’. That was to my face on the Friday when we would go in and do the camera rehearsal. 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.” A spokesperson for Giovanni has since confirmed that they were “cooperating fully with the BBC’s review process,” and those involved had been asked to respect the process and not speak to the media before the conclusion,” as per the Mirror. They added: “As part of the evidence-led review, the BBC has shared the allegations and there are none, nor any evidence, that resembles Amanda Abbington’s numerous and variable allegations. Giovanni refutes any claim of threatening or abusive behaviour, and having provided the BBC with his evidence, is confident that the review will prove this.” Giovanni has strongly denied all allegations made against him.Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnGiovanni PerniceStrictly Come DancingAmanda Abbington
