3 October 2024, 09:19 | Updated: 3 October 2024, 09:20
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Amanda Abbington has alleged Giovanni Pernice made an inappropriate “sexual gesture” towards her, as she addresses a BBC investigation into behaviour and conduct on the show.
The investigation into the actress’s complaints about Pernice was launched earlier this year, with the BBC upholding “some, but not all” of the allegations made against the professional dancer in a review.
The actress, who pulled out of the show last year citing “personal reasons”, later claimed she was subject to a “toxic environment” and “inappropriate, mean, nasty bullying”.
Despite receiving “hundreds” of death and rape threats, the 50-year-old Sherlock star said she has “no regrets” about lodging complaints against her former dance partner.
She told Newsnight’s Victoria Derbyshire: “It was an ongoing litany of being verbally abused, sexual innuendo, sexual gestures.
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“There was a 35 minute rant at me with him throwing his hands in the air and calling me names and how he couldn’t cope with it anymore.
She continued: “When I got a dance step right he would outline his erection in his trousers and tell me my dance move made that happen, because I got it right.
“The other sexual allegation was verbal. They weren’t isolated one-off incidents.”
However, a spokesman for Giovanni told The Sun: “It’s disappointing that Ms Abbington would knowingly mislead the outcome of the report in order to further damage Giovanni’s reputation.
“While Ms Abbington may not like the outcome of the six month investigation, she should not seek to spread false and defamatory claims.”
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Abbington also told BBC Newsnight “It’s been one of the worst years of my life.
“I’ve been through a lot, women go through a lot, but it has been a very unpleasant, turbulent, relentless time in my life.
“I’ve had to deal with a myriad of horrible things.”
The actress said in the last eight months, the number of threats she has received had “gone into the hundreds” – inlcluding one against her teenage daughter.
She has not ruled out taking legal action against the BBC after some of her complaints were upheld.
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In August, the Metropolitan Police confirmed they were investigating after they were called to the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park to an alleged death threat sent to Abbington, who was starring in When It Happens To You.
“I had a credible death threat sent to my place of work, a theatre that I was working at, which was credible and the police had to be called,” Abbington said.
“I had a bomb threat sent to my place of work, threatening to blow the building up because I was pursuing this.
“I’ve had death threats sent to me, my family.
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“I’ve had rape threats sent to my 15-year-old daughter, saying ‘I’m just laughing at the moment thinking about you having to watch your daughter get raped for what you’ve done to Giovanni Pernice’.
“They were every day I’d be getting those and I have screenshots that have been handed over to the Met Police.” Abbington said the threats had “started up again” since the publication of the BBC review on Monday.
She said she has been receiving threats including “I hope you die of cancer” and “I knew you’d get proven wrong you lying c***”.
BBC apologises to Abbington over Strictly as Pernice cleared of abuse claims
Despite the threats, Abbington said “I’ve got no regrets” about lodging complaints against Pernice.
“The death threats and the rape threats and the abuse I get are horrible and soul-destroying and heart-breaking,” she said.
“But I do get women coming up to me in the street saying ‘you’re paving the way for my daughter to work in a safe environment and not feel threatened or in any way feel that they can’t speak out’.”
During the interview, Abbington also claimed she was not the only person to have complained about working with Pernice on the flagship show.
She said she invited the former Strictly contestants to her home because “we wanted to make sure we weren’t on our own thinking this had just happened to us”.
Abbington said when they first met “we all burst into tears”.
Pernice has denied allegations against him.
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‘Unresolved’
A review published this week “upheld some, but not all, of the complaints made” against professional dancer Pernice.
In response, Abbington said: “There’s a 30-page report that me and my lawyers are still digesting.
“There are still things in there that are unresolved.”
Abbington claimed that there was a “significant reason” that some of the allegations against Pernice were not upheld, and that her team will be “investigating that further”.
When asked if she is considering bringing a lawsuit against the BBC, the 50-year-old said: “I’m taking guidance from my lawyer, who has just been so amazing throughout this whole thing.
“She’s been the driving force and has helped me, because there’s been times when I’ve just thought, is this worth it.
“I’m taking advice from her, and on a day-to-day basis.”
Abbington said there had been “a lot of misinformation” following the publication of the BBC report, which appeared to diminish the seriousness of the case.
“What has been said at the moment out there is just not true,” she said. “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 within the organisation.”
The BBC previously apologised to Abbington and thanked her for coming forward.
“At the time, although the production team took steps to address the issues as they understood them, ultimately these were not enough. This is why the measures we have taken to further strengthen our existing protocols are so important,” the BBC said.
A spokeswoman for Pernice previously welcomed the BBC review, saying they are “pleased that this six-month review has not found any evidence of threatening or abusive behaviour by Giovanni”.