Amanda Abbington's biggest Newsnight bombshells as Giovanni Pernice blasts 'lies'

Amanda Abbington has spoken out following the outcome of her Strictly Come Dancing investigation.

The Sherlock actress had filed a string of complaints against her former professional partner Giovanni Pernice and claimed she had been diagnosed with PTSD following her time on the show. But while Giovanni had strongly denied all allegations made against him, the BBC has apologised for what she endured.

Since going public with the allegations against Pernice, Amanda has suffered from death threats aimed at both herself and her teenage daughter. She had also been sent vile rape threats and also a bomb threat to her place of work. Since the investigation got underway, Amanda has been supported by some of Giovanni's former partners on the show, who have also raised complaints about his behaviour and attitude.

Here, we take a look at some of the biggest bombshells from her Newsnight interview – which Giovanni has branded "disappointing" claiming Amanda "knowingly misled the outcome of the report."

'Not true'

Half of Amanda's complaints were upheld by the BBC but some were not for a "significant reason" – but her advisors will be investigating these claims. Although Amanda is unable to discuss the reasoning at the present moment, she admits that she would like to share her side of the story at some point.

In a nail-biting statement, she said: "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." "It's been one of the worst years of my life," Amanda continued. "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."

'Litany of being abused'

Amanda claims that she was subjected to abuse from Giovanni away from the cameras. Speaking to Victoria, she said it was an "ongoing litany of being verbally abused" by Giovanni and a 35-minute "rant" at her, including name-calling. Amanda said she is "open to criticism" and "doesn't make problems or trouble where there isn't any".

"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," she told Victoria. "I shut down in that room and I was called 'mad' and 'unstable'."

'Not one-off incidents'

Amanda, who appeared to be distressed explained to Victoria that incidents happened on multiple occasions. "There were two allegations," she said before checking her 30-page report. She went on to say: "There were two allegations of inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature. They were upheld and one of them was physical and one was verbal."

The actress later explained that she first told producers of her concerns "after about three or four days of being in the rehearsal room". She claims they told her they were sorry and would monitor the situation. "I think the cameras went in quite soon after that," she added. "This wasn't an isolated incident and I know it had happened before to other contestants."

'All in tears'

It wasn't just Amanda who complained to the BBC about Giovanni. The star explained that she and several of his former partners had come together and spent the evening crying with one another. "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," she said.

She added: "It wasn't pleasant, it wasn't what the others were going through in other rooms. We wanted to connect with each other." When probed on how the meeting with his former partners had gone down, Amanda explained that the group "cried and burst into tears." Amanda added: "We all said the same thing, it was managing a room and having to look after our own mental and physical well-being within that room."

While it remains unclear as to who attended the gathering, former Love Island presenter Laura Whitmore has been vocal about her unpleasant experience having been partnered with Giovanni in 2016. In August 2024, she accused the BBC of 'gaslighting' her over her experience with the Italian dancer. Taking to her Instagram stories after the probe verdict, Laura wrote: "'I hope this helps people realise they should not be subjected to abusive behaviour in the workplace.

"Things can be twisted online and there's so much more to this but in black and white there were complaints upheld and an apology made. And the perpetrator no longer works for the channel." Laura was one of the first celebrities to publicly show support for Amanda after she made her initial complaint. In a lengthy statement, she said she had initially raised concerns in 2016 and believed that her experience was "specific" to her. "I've since learned I was wrong," Laura said.

She added: "Things can be twisted online and there's so much more to this but in black and white there were complaints upheld and an apology made. And the perpetrator no longer works for the channel."

The recent investigation discovered incidents of "inappropriate behaviour of sexual banter in the workplace" including an incident where Pernice made an improper signal clear violation of the BBC codes. In reflecting on the BBCs proclamation, Amanda emphasised that coming forward "was not an easy thing to do".

Meanwhile, the BBC asserted: "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."

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