Amanda Abbington has reportedly ‘called the police after receiving death threats from trolls’ as the bullying controversy surrounding Giovanni Pernice continues.
The BBC launched an investigation after Giovanni, 33, was accused of ‘threatening and abusive behaviour’ while working with celebrity contestants on Strictly Come Dancing, including Amanda, Ranvir Singh and Laura Whitmore.
The actress, 50, then deleted her social media accounts last week, just hours after it was confirmed the professional dancer would not be returning to the series amid the alleged workplace ‘misconduct’.
According to reports, Amanda had already been bombarded by ‘unspeakable and incredibly threatening’ messages from troll fans of Giovanni.
A source told The Sun: ‘She has been worried about leaving the house to do simple errands like walking the dog or picking up groceries.’
Amanda Abbington has reportedly ‘called the police after receiving death threats from trolls’ as the bullying controversy surrounding Giovanni Pernice continues (pictured in 2023)
The BBC launched an investigation after Giovanni, 33, (pictured this month) was accused of ‘threatening and abusive behaviour’ while working with celebrity contestants on Strictly
They continued: ‘At one point she was struggling to field the hundreds of messages from Giovanni supporters saying nasty things and threatening her safety.
‘It was awful to cope with. The sheer volume was horrendous and the content was unspeakable and incredibly threatening. The police have taken the messages seriously.’
MailOnline has contacted Amanda Abbington’s representative for comment.
Earlier this month, Amanda deleted her social media accounts after it was confirmed that Giovanni would not be returning to Strictly Come Dancing.
On the same day, fans were quick to notice the actress had removed both her X and Instagram accounts – probably in a bid to avoid the public backlash.
Professional dancers who will appear next season were announced on June 10 – with Giovanni’s name absent amid a probe into alleged workplace ‘misconduct’.
The BBC launched an investigation after the dancer was accused of ‘threatening and abusive behaviour’ while working with celebrity contestants on the show.
A male celebrity then reportedly joined the group of women making complaints about Giovanni’s behaviour.
It has also been claimed that a professional dancer needed three months of therapy after starring on the show alongside Giovanni.
The actress then deleted her social media accounts last week, just hours after it was confirmed the dancer would not be returning to the series amid the alleged workplace ‘misconduct’ (pictured together in October 2023)
According to reports, Amanda had already been bombarded by ‘unspeakable and incredibly threatening’ messages from troll fans of Giovanni
The Sun reported that the unnamed fellow dancer suffered ‘significant emotional distress’ on the show, that required professional help.
Three women, including actress Amanda, have hired £700-an-hour lawyers at leading London law firm Carter Ruck to pursue claims against Giovanni and the BBC.
The dancer launched a fightback by hiring rival law firm Schillings. His case is being handled by Joelle Rich, 39, who represented Johnny Depp in his libel trial in 2020.
It was previously reported that the rehearsal tapes between Amanda and Giovanni will not be released to the actress after she demanded them to prove her claims of bullying.
Amanda was told they couldn’t hand over the tapes to her because they feature a third person, Giovanni, not just her.
He is therefore entitled for private information or content about him not to be disclosed without his authorisation.
Amanda previously rubbished reports Giovanni had asked the BBC to record his rehearsals with the actress over growing concerns about her behaviour – claiming she had requested their dance practices to be filmed, not him.
She told The Daily Mail: ‘I asked for them to be recorded, it was me. Giovanni is nasty. He was awful to a few of us, a group of us.’
Amanda went on to describe how her life had been devastated by the experience, which has exploded since she quit the show abruptly in the middle of the last series.
In January, she claimed she had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after working with Giovanni, and later complained of sustaining a bruised foot in training.
‘You don’t understand how awful this all is,’ she said. ‘Giovanni’s fans have started trolling me now. I have had to come off social media and I’m getting death threats.’
The actress also insisted that she had complained of Giovanni’s behaviour soon into the series. ‘I went to producers early on and told them about Giovanni,’ she said.
And she lamented of the fallout: ‘All of this because I didn’t enjoy a television programme. I didn’t enjoy it because of all of this.’
Amanda has led the charge in accusing him of ‘difficult behaviour’ during training and is currently speaking with the BBC to discuss possible workplace misconduct.
Despite the furore, head judge Shirley Ballas has stood by the under-fire pro and will join him in hosting a number of dance classes in London next month.
Named Ballando, the one day event is led by Shirley, Giovanni and Anton Du Beke as they share their expertise with fans.
No details of how Giovanni is alleged to have behaved have yet been released. But the BBC put out an unprecedented statement about the dispute.
A Strictly spokesman said: ‘If a complaint is made to the BBC, we assess and take any necessary steps to establish the facts, whether there is a case to answer, and, if appropriate, what action should be taken.
‘This is all within the context of the BBC having duties of care to everyone linked to a complaint – that applies to those that have raised the complaint and to those that have been complained about.
‘Whilst we know our shows have been positive experiences for many of those who have taken part, we will always look at any issues raised with care, fairness and sensitivity to everyone concerned.’
Sources familiar with the situation say the BBC came under pressure from Amanda’s team to say publicly that it was she who asked for the rehearsals to be taped.
It was reported that the rehearsal tapes between Amanda and Giovanni will not be released to the actress after she demanded them to prove her claims of bullying
A source said: ‘It’s terrible, really. Amanda wanted the BBC to set her record straight, to confirm her version of events.
‘But of course they can’t. It just shows that if she doesn’t like what is being said, she shouts loudly about it.’
Giovanni’s absence from the lineup was revealed when the BBC shared the names of the professionals appearing this year.
Joining them on the dancefloor are Jowita Przystal, Johannes Radebe, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Michelle Tsiakkas and Vito Coppola.