Strictly’s Giovanni Pernice cleared of physical aggression against Amanda Abbington

Actress ‘vindicated’ after BBC apologises and upholds six of her 17 complaints

Giovanni Pernice, the Strictly dancer, has been cleared by the BBC of physical aggression against Amanda Abbington, his dance partner.
The BBC apologised to Abbington, saying it had assessed and “upheld some, but not all” of her complaints about Pernice’s behaviour during her time on the show.
In a statement, the BBC said: “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.
“At the time, although the production team took steps to address the issues as they understood them, ultimately these were not enough.”
Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s chief content officer, said: “There were a number of complaints under our bullying and harassment policy and a number of those complaints have been upheld.”
Abbington claimed that Pernice’s behaviour towards her in the rehearsal room during last year’s series was “inappropriate, mean, nasty and bullying”.
The BBC is understood to have upheld six of 17 complaints. Pernice was cleared of intimidating or aggressive behaviour but was found to have used “belittling” language and given negative feedback.
There were instances of “inappropriate” sexual banter although this was said to have been done with humour.
Abbington withdrew from the show last year citing a medical issue, but later went public with her allegations about Pernice.
In a statement, Abbington said she felt vindicated by the findings. She said: “As the BBC has indicated today in its statement, my decision to come forward and complain about Giovanni Pernice’s conduct towards me was not an easy thing to do.
“In the days, weeks and months since I contacted the BBC, I’ve been accused of being a liar, a troublemaker and of being ‘mad and unstable’. I’ve also received rape and murder threats and a bomb threat was sent to my place of work. My family and children have also been subjected to threats and intimidation.
“Despite this vile abuse, I’ve never regretted coming forward, and today’s apology from the BBC is a vindication of my complaint. It’s not just a vindication for me, it’s a vindication for the other people who have contacted me since I made my complaint to express concerns about their own experiences on Strictly Come Dancing. I hope those who have felt unable to speak out now will be more confident that they will be listened to and believed.
Abbington said she would consider an invitation from the BBC to meet with senior management.
She added: “This apology means a great deal to me. So too does the fact that the BBC have acknowledged the steps that were put in place to support and protect me and past contestants were ‘not enough’.
“What matters most now is that lessons have been learned and that the BBC makes the changes they’ve promised, to ensure others don’t experience the same ordeal that I and others like me did.”
Pernice always protested his innocence, saying that he had never threatened or abused the actress, maintaining there was no evidence to support Abbington’s claims.
In a video message on Instagram, Pernice said he was happy that none of the serious allegations had been upheld.
He admitted to sometimes becoming “frustrated” while training but said that was because he cared about his craft, adding that dance is a sport and he wants to get the best out of his partner.
Pernice said: “It’s over. It’s finished. Six months, seven months of all of this. Seven months of reading every day things in the newspaper and not being able to respond because I wanted to keep the confidentiality and privacy of the review. It was a difficult time.
“It was difficult because reading stuff that was untrue wasn’t the nicest time of my life, let’s be honest.
“But today I’m happy because at the beginning there were very, very serious allegations thrown at me but today none of the serious allegations have been upheld.
“All the threatening, abusive, harassment behaviour allegations have been not upheld.”
He went on: “And today is a day when we can all reflect because I appreciate that dancing is a very difficult thing to do.
“It’s a sport. It’s something that is difficult in every possible way and sometimes you get frustrated as a teacher, as a dancer, as a performer, but the only reason why you get frustrated is because you care about what you do.
“As a professional, as a teacher, I want to get the best out of my partner and sometimes I do get frustrated, everybody around the world does the same thing. It’s called being professional and I love doing that.
“I think it’s a normal thing but then you get the best and the results come forward.”
Pernice told fans that “without your love, your messages, your constant support I don’t know if I’d even be able to make this message right now.
“I’m happy because today I can carry on doing what I love to do, which is entertain all of you. This is my life, this is what I do. So I’m always grateful to all of you and I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Announcing the conclusion of the investigation, which has taken many months, the BBC said: “We take any allegations of bullying and harassment very seriously and this review has taken time due to its complex nature and our desire to ensure a rigorous and robust process was undertaken.
“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.”
The broadcaster also released new details of the duty-of-care measures, which have been introduced in the wake of Abbington’s complaint.
A team of 15 chaperones monitor the rehearsals, completing daily training logs which are reviewed by senior executives.
Celebrities and dancers are also offered a psychological review and must complete a “wellbeing questionnaire” in which they talk about “the type of experience the celebrity would like on the show and expectations of training from both sides”.
There is a formal exit interview for each celebrity as they leave the show.
Everyone working on Strictly, in front of and behind the camera, has been required to attend workshops “addressing the culture of the show and expected behaviour”.