Strictly Come Dancing latest: Giovanni Pernice report upholds Amanda Abbington complaints ‘but not all’

The news of the findings comes just days after former professionals James Jordan and Brendan Cole were asked their thoughts about the show when they appeared on This Morning on 17 September.

Jordan said: “These are two isolated incidents, but if you speak to 99 per cent of people that have done Strictly, they have had such amazing experiences.”

The only controversy the show faced was usually reserved to what has become known as “the Strictly curse”, in which celebrity contestants grow so close to the professional dancer they’re paired with that their real-life relationships are affected.

But that all changed in October 2023 when Sherlock star Amanda Abbington quit the series, just five weeks in.

It wasn’t until January that reports of behind-the-scenes issues manifested, with Abbington requesting footage of her “tense’ training sessions with Giovanni Pernice, one of Strictly’s best-loved pros.Here is a full timeline of the events and how they unfolded.– 2023

October 23:Actress Amanda Abbington pulls out of Strictly.

October 24:Abbington says “it is with deepest regret” that she has had to leave Strictly “for personal reasons” that have made her “unable to continue”.

– 2024

January 6:The Sun reports that Abbington has demanded footage of her rehearsals with partner Pernice.

January 13:Abbington tells The Sun On Sunday that she was “diagnosed with mild PTSD” after Strictly and received death threats after her stint on the show.

March 16:Pernice tells The Mirror’s Invite Only podcast it is a “shame” that Abbington left the show early as he feels they could have “gone all the way”.

May 18:Pernice rejects allegations that he displayed “abusive or threatening behaviour” while working as a professional dancer, amid reports that the BBC is looking into complaints about his conduct on the show.

May 29:The BBC promises to handle any complaints with “care, fairness and sensitivity” to all sides, after reports about Pernice’s teaching methods.

June 10:The BBC confirms Pernice will not return as a professional in 2024.

June 16:Pernice says in an Instagram statement that he is “co-operating fully with the ongoing BBC investigation, which will determine the truth”.

June 25:Professional dancer Gorka Marquez says it is “just sad for everybody” when someone leaves the line-up, in the wake of Pernice’s exit.

July 13:Di Prima confirms his departure from the show amid reports of allegations about his conduct with a past participant.

July 14:Abbington tells The Sunday Times the show was “tough and horrible” and that the aftermath has “been really brutal and it just hasn’t stopped”.

July 16:Love Island star Zara McDermott responds to reports about her alleged mistreatment on the show and says she has spoken candidly to the BBC.

The corporation announces measures “to strengthen welfare and support” on the show, including a chaperone who will watch dress rehearsals “at all times”.

July 18:Di Prima’s spokesman says he has been left “in a very vulnerable state” and he “deeply regrets and apologised for” an isolated incident at the time.

July 22:Paralympian Will Bayley, who was partnered with Janette Manrara, says there was “no duty of care” on the show, and he suffered torn knee ligaments after performing a jump.

Manrara’s spokeswoman says she “has never received any complaints and has maintained friendships with all her partners, including Will”.

July 23:Director-general of the BBC, Tim Davie, apologises to contestants who have had an experience that “hasn’t been wholly positive”, and said the broadcaster will not “tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any kind”.

July 24:Abbington gives her first TV interview about the Strictly controversy, to Channel 4 News, and says she wants to encourage people who feel “bullied” or are in a situation they feel is “toxic and unsafe” to complain, despite the backlash she has allegedly received.

July 29:Irish TV presenter and former Love Island host Laura Whitmore alleges that she was subjected to “inappropriate behaviour”.

She was partnered with Pernice in 2016, but does name him, and adds that she has spoken to the BBC’s investigation team.

August:A former member of Strictly’s production staff claimed that crew faced “shouting, screaming and being insulted”.

BBC Studios says it does “not recognise these anonymous claims, nor will hundreds of production personnel who have worked with us”.

August 10:Di Prima denies he is “an abusive man”, and says he does not know from where McDermott’s allegations had stemmed. He claims he “kicked the floor in frustration”, and did not mean to hit her.

August 13:The full Strictly 2024 line-up is announced, with DIY SOS star Nick Knowles, former England footballer Paul Merson and Olympic hockey gold medallist Sam Quek the final three contestants.

August 22:The show will feature live signing for the first time, the BBC says.

September 7:Pernice says he is joining the Italian “equivalent of Dancing With The Stars”, which is called Ballando con le Stelle.

September 12:Strictly wins the talent show gong at the National Television Awards (NTAs).

September 14:Strictly returns with a 2024 cast of celebrities and professionals and makes no reference to the recent controversy.

September 30:The BBC apologises to Abbington, saying it had assessed and “upheld some, but not all” of the complaints.

Amanda Abbington’s written statement in full says: “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.

“The BBC has invited me to meet with senior management and this is something I will now be considering.

“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.”

Strictly Come Dancing fans have supported Abbington after the BBC partly upheld some of her complaints about Pernice and apologised, with many applauding her for speaking out.

One viewer on X/Twitter wrote: “Good on Amanda Abbington for speaking out about her horrendous experience on Strictly Come Dancing. Getting death and rape threats makes me wonder who in the holy hell is watching something as benign as a TV dance show and getting so angry and aggressive.”

Another wrote: “So pleased to see BBC apologise to Amanda Abbington, its taken too long.” A third added: “Glad Gio has been cleared of allegations of physical allegations by Amanda Abbington. It does sound like he needs to calm down in the training room and hopefully he learns from that. And hopefully no one sends death threats to Amanda, as that is also not OK.”

In a statement, Amanda Abbington called the BBC’s apology a “vindication” of her complaint and said she hoped others would now feel “more confident” that they would be believed.

Charlotte Moore, chief content officer for the BBC, told BBC News that it was “terrible” that Abbington had been subjected to online abuse, and said she had personally apologised to the actor twice.

A brief statement from Giovanni Pernice’s spokesperson says he is “pleased” that the review “has not found any evidence of threatening or abusive behaviour” by him.

Sherlock star Amanda Abbington previously accused him of being “unneccessary, abusive, cruel and mean” during their rehearsals, which he had always strongly denied.

The BBC says it wants Strictly to be “a positive experience for everyone involved”, which is why it reviews and updates its welfare and support processes each year.

“In July we introduced new measures for training and rehearsals, which are in place for this year’s show,” its statement on Monday 30 September said.

“These included a production team member present during training room rehearsals at all times; two new roles on the show dedicated to welfare support – a Celebrity Welfare Producer and a Professional Dancer Welfare Producer (both started work in August); and additional training for the professional dancers, production team and crew.

“In addition we introduced 15 training room observers in place for rehearsals. They complete daily training logs – including covering breaks, warm-ups and rest periods.”

The broadcaster said that from the start of the new series it has implemented weekly welfare meetings with the show’s senior team, as well as the BBC’s editorial policy advisor and the BBC’s duty of care executive.

“These meetings include a review of all the daily training logs,” the statement said.

“Every celebrity and pro dancer is offered a pre-series psychological review. They complete ‘wellbeing questionnaires’ with the welfare producers and talk about the type of experience the celebrity would like on the show and expectations of training from both sides.

“Everyone working on Strictly, in front and behind camera, has attended workshops addressing the culture of the show and expected behaviour.

“Building on previous protocols, there is a formal exit interview process for all involved as they leave the show, which will be logged and documented. These new measures build on longstanding processes and procedures on the show. We will always look at whether there is more we should do.”

The result of the BBC‘s investigation into Giovanni Pernice’s Strictly Come Dancing behaviour has been revealed, leading to an apology for Amanda Abbington.

However, Pernice has been cleared of some of the most serious allegations levied against him.

BBC News has reported that Abbington’s complaints of verbal bullying and harassment have been upheld, while it was concluded that Pernice was not physically aggressive to the Sherlock star, whom he was partnered with on last year’s series.

Announcing the result of the investigation on Monday (30 September), the BBC said: “We have assessed the complaints and we have upheld some, but not all, of the complaints made.

“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.”