Amanda Abbington appeared on Newsnight where she spoke about the BBC’s internal investigation (Image: BBC Screengrab)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 NoticeAmanda Abbington has spoken out about the findings of the BBC’s internal investigation into her allegations against Giovanni Pernice’s behaviour during Strictly Come Dancing rehearsals. In an explosive interview on Newsnight the actress, known for her role in Sherlock, made additional claims about Giovanni’s behaviour. She stated that if the BBC had taken further action, she “wouldn’t be sitting here now”. At one point, host Victoria Derbyshire read out a previous statement made by Giovanni, in which he said: “We are unable to comment any further and the BBC has asked both parties to respect confidentially.” Giovanni has consistently denied all allegations made by Amanda.
Amanda claimed that nearly half of her complaints were upheld
(Image: BBC screengrab)
Amanda, who has two children with actor Martin Freeman, also disclosed that she has received a rise in death threats aimed at herself and her teenage daughter since the BBC report was published. Addressing what she considers to be misinformation about her character, Amanda stated that complaining is not in her nature, reports the Mirror. Regarding the BBC investigation, Amanda said on Newsnight: “It’s nice. It’s a relief that they’ve apologised.” She also mentioned that nearly half of her complaints were upheld, but noted that there is a “significant reason” why some complaints were not upheld, and her team will be looking into this further. Amanda opened up to Victoria about the Strictly Come Dancing controversy, revealing that she can’t divulge all the details just yet but plans to when she can, stating: “What’s been said at the moment out there is just not true. There were some very serious things that went on and they were upheld by the BBC. There were breaches of all the codes of conduct.” Describing the ordeal as one of her toughest years, Amanda confided: “It’s been one of the worst years of my life,” and shared her struggles, saying, “I’ve been through a lot – women go through a lot – but it has been a relentless time of my life. I have had to deal with horrible things that continue to happen for just complaining… not even complaining as I don’t like that word. Just for reporting what I deemed and other people before me deemed as bad behaviour.” She recounted the distressing experiences during rehearsals, including being subjected to an “ongoing litany of being verbally abused” by Giovanni and enduring a 35-minute tirade filled with name-calling. Despite this, Amanda insists she is someone who is “open to criticism” and doesn’t stir trouble unnecessarily. Amanda also described the confusing dynamics with Giovanni, noting: “There were pockets of time where we got on and it was ok, which was wrong-footing for me because when you’re in that room you never knew where you were from one minute to the next and it can make you shut down,” and admitted to feeling so overwhelmed that she “shut down in that room and I was called ‘mad’ and ‘unstable’.”
Amanda said she was subjected to an ‘ongoing litany of being verbally abused’
(Image: BBC)
Sign up to OK’s TV newsletter to get updates sent to your inbox for free Amanda has spoken out about the challenges she faced, noting her long-standing career and contrasting it with recent events: “I have worked 32 years as an actress in an industry that started the MeToo movement and I have never had to leave a job and experience anything like I did in that room,” she expressed. Amanda admitted it was incredibly tough for her and emphasised, “It was one of the hardest things I had to do. I did it for myself and previous contestants.” On Newsnight, when Victoria probed further into the incident, Amanda, holding back emotion, confirmed: “Um, yeah. It was one of the allegations that was upheld. There were two allegations,” she said with pause and regret for glancing over her extensive report. Diving deeper into the specifics, Amanda disclosed: “There were two allegations of inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature. They were upheld and one of them was physical and one was verbal.” A visibly moved Amanda clarified the latter as verbal before revealing with difficulty: “And they weren’t isolated one-off incidents. They were over a period of seven weeks.” Earlier on, Amanda bravely shared how she brought up her misgivings early on, “after about three or four days of being in the rehearsal room”. She recalls the production team’s apologies and assurances of close observation. “I think the cameras went in quite soon after that,” she added. She remained firm on the fact: “This wasn’t an isolated incident and I know it had happened before to other contestants.” Amanda revealed that she reached out to some of Giovanni’s previous celebrity partners through mutual friends and “invited them over”. She shared with Victoria: “We just wanted to make sure we weren’t on our own thinking this had only happened to us because we all have said the same thing. It wasn’t pleasant, it wasn’t what the others were going through in other rooms. We wanted to connect with each other.”
The actress said she spoke to other celebs who were partnered with Giovanni on the show to talk about their experiences
(Image: BBC/Guy Levy)
When asked about how the meeting went, Amanda confessed that they all “cried and burst into tears”. “We all said the same thing, it was managing a room and having to look after our own mental and physical wellbeing within that room,” she added. Towards the end of the chat, Victoria brought up Sarah Vine’s recent opinion piece on Amanda in the Daily Mail. “Women like Abbington are part of the reason other women find themselves in genuinely awful and much more serious situations don’t get taken seriously,” an excerpt of the piece reads. In response to Victoria reading the extract, Amanda said: “I’m always shocked when women throw other women under the bus for standing up for something they think is wrong but ok. I’ve had so many women come up to me since making this complaint thanking me for being brave enough to stand up and complain about something that was impacting me in a work situation.” Amanda went on to say that her complaint has inspired other women to “speak out”, with many thanking her and offering hugs. “I also did it for the women before me who had gone through the same thing,” she added. “I’m not the isolated person – it hasn’t only happened to me”. The 50 year old actress concluded by saying she “loved Strictly” and never intended to “cause any trouble or ruin any careers.” Saying, “All I did was experience something in a workplace environment that was run by a corporation that is owned by the public and I didn’t want anyone else to go through what I went through.”
Amanda concluded the interview by saying she ‘loved Strictly’ and never intended to ’cause any trouble or ruin any careers’
(Image: BBC screengrab)
After her early exit from Strictly, Amanda had lodged a complaint about her dance partner Giovanni Pernice, 33, accusing him of “bullying” and “aggressive behaviour,”. Giovanni, who is no longer part of the show, denied any “abusive or threatening behaviour”. The BBC conducted an internal investigation, the results of which were released earlier this week following the launch of the latest series. Amanda’s appearance on Newsnight tonight comes amid rumours that the actress could potentially sue the BBC. The broadcaster expressed regret to Amanda after confirming some of the grievances against the renowned Italian dancer, acknowledging six of the 17 issues she raised during her stint on the dance floor. The investigation revealed instances of “inappropriate behaviour of sexual banter in the workplace”, including an episode where Giovanni made an improper gesture, clearly breaching BBC codes. Reflecting on the BBC’s statement, Amanda stressed that speaking up “was not an easy thing to do”. Meanwhile, the BBC stated: “Strictly Come Dancing is a family show and we rightly expect very high standards. While competition can be tough, rigorous and demanding, we want the show to ultimately be a joyous and transformative experience. It is a great shame if this hasn’t been the case for everyone who has appeared on the show. “We have assessed the complaints and we have upheld some, but not all. We want to apologise to Amanda Abbington and to thank her for coming forward and taking part. We know this would not have been an easy thing to do.” Earlier this week, a source reportedly close to Amanda said: “Amanda is delighted and relieved, and feels her decision to speak out and complain has been rewarded. She hopes other celebrities might come forward now, safe in the knowledge they, too, will be listened to.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnStrictly Come DancingGiovanni PerniceAmanda Abbington
