The scandal which has threatened to put an end to the BBC‘s Saturday night flagship show Strictly Come Dancing has taken a fresh turn today as professional dancer Giovanni Pernice unveils a dossier of evidence he believes will exonerate him.
Former partner actress Amanda Abbington claims that he bullied her during her time on the show, before she withdrew citing medical reasons.
The professional is convinced he has presented evidence that proves he is far from the ‘cruel, abusive and mean’ man the Sherlock star claims he is. It comes as a three-month investigation the BBC is set to reveal its verdict on Monday.
Amanda Abbington referred to herself as a ‘nightmare’ as she and Giovanni Pernice danced from August to October last year
Sources close to the situation say that Mr Pernice now expects to be cleared of bullying Ms Abbington (pictured) after the three-month investigation
Mr Pernice, 33, handed investigators a 28-minute long audio of Ms Abbington and him in conversation which his team proves he was instead hugely supportive.
During the clip, she told Mr Pernice that if she was him she ‘would have thrown me out of the window by now’ in an apparent acknowledgement that she could be difficult.
She also admitted she ‘self sabotages’ and repeatedly referred to how he supported her as she struggled with the show.
Ms Abbington even described herself as a ‘nightmare’ during the time they danced together from August until October last year.
The Mail On Sunday also reveals Mr Pernice handed the corporation lengthy screenshots of WhatsApp messages between himself and Ms Abbington, 50, where she would gush at how helpful he had been, how much she liked him and also makes apologies to him.
Sources close to the situation say that Mr Pernice now expects to be cleared of bullying her after the three-month investigation, with the BBC announcing its findings to both parties on Monday. The Corporation is also expected to release an ‘anodyne’ statement.
The investigation has been a frustrating one for the BBC, particularly as Ms Abbington has spoken out several times in the last week in advance of the end of the probe.
Last week she said that there was an incident of a ‘humiliating sexual nature’ in an interview with Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy, who took part in the same series of Strictly.
She also said she received dozens of death and rape threats each day after she complained to the BBC that Mr Pernice had been bullying her.
This newspaper can reveal that Mr Pernice’s former dance partners were invited in by the BBC to explain their own experiences of working with him.
Meanwhile, members of the Strictly crew were also interviewed. It is understood none reported that they had either experienced or witnessed Mr Pernice, 33, behave badly.
The scandal unfolded at the turn of the year after Ms Abbington told The Sun that she had suffered from PTSD as a result of appearing on Strictly. She also reportedly asked to see rehearsal footage so she could pass it onto her lawyers.
Last week in an interview with Channel 4 News, a tearful Ms Abbington said an incident of a ‘humiliating sexual nature’ took place
Mr Pernice, 33, (pictured with Ms Abbington in rehearsals) handed investigators at the BBC a 28-minute long audio of the pair in conversation which his team believes proves that far from bullying her, he was instead hugely supportive
The BBC refused her request. In April, it launched a formal investigation into her claims that Mr Pernice had bullied during their training sessions.
Mr Pernice’s spokesman said that he was not made aware of the sexual allegations until Channel 4 approached his lawyers at Schillings to offer a right to reply just hours before the interview was aired on Wednesday. He vehemently denies the claims.
Previously, Ms Abbington had claimed Mr Pernice stamped on her foot, leaving her with a bruised toe. She has given no other details.
Last Sunday she told The Sun: ‘I found Giovanni’s behaviour unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean. I couldn’t sit back and let him do that to other people.’ She offered no further details.
Meanwhile, the fallout at the BBC is said to be ‘serious.’ Bosses are already under scrutiny over why the investigation took three months, during which time significant damage was done to Strictly, often referred to as the jewel in the Corporation’s crown.
But insiders have hit back by saying that it was because the inquiry went on for so long that Strictly staff were able to raise professional dancer Graziano Di Prima hitting and kicking his former partner Zara McDermott. Investigators fired him within 48 hours, citing misconduct.
Despite the outcome of the inquiry into Mr Pernice being expected tomorrow, sources at the BBC say there could be more to come.
During her interview with Mr Guru-Murthy, Ms Abbington said she wanted to be remunerated for loss of earnings following her appearance on the show and the claims she was bullied.
But they also face potential action from Mr Pernice, who is unhappy that he was paired with Ms Abbington without them doing any psychological tests on her.
Yesterday, a spokesman for Ms Abbington said: ‘These details don’t alter anything: as Amanda has repeatedly made clear, she did her best to make things work.
‘This included being open with Giovanni about her own shortcomings as a dancer and her awareness that this must have been difficult for him.
‘For these comments to now be presented as some form of an excuse for the bullying that Amanda experienced is as unacceptable as the behaviour itself.’