Amanda Abbington has claimed Giovanni Pernice made a shocking sexual gesture at her after she got a dance move right during rehearsals for Strictly Come Dancing.
The actress, 52, said she is considering further action against the BBC after the Corporation apologised to her following her complaints over Mr Pernice, 34.
In an interview with Victoria Derbyshire on Newsnight on Wednesday, Ms Abbington described her experience in the rehearsal room with Mr Pernice, where she said she ‘lost all sense of reality’.
She said: ‘There were two allegations of inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature and they were upheld. One of them was physical and the other was verbal.
‘The physical one was when I got a dance step right he would outline his erection in his trousers and told me that my dance move had made that happen.
Amanda Abbington has claimed Giovanni Pernice made a shocking sexual gesture at her after she got a dance move right during rehearsals for Strictly Come Dancing
The actress, 52, said she is considering further action against the BBC after the Corporation apologised to her following her complaints over Mr Pernice, 34
‘The other sexual allegation was verbal and they weren’t separate, isolated incidents, they were over a period of seven weeks.’
Sources close to Mr Pernice insisted the BBC report ruled there was insufficient evidence to find whether the dancer actually had an erection at the time and said no witness reported seeing one.
They previously said Ms Abbington enjoyed the ‘banter’ and while the BBC did confirm it was inappropriate behaviour for the workplace, the comments were to be made and received as jokes and compliments of Ms Abbington’s dancing. The review found it was a two-way, consensual way of talking and behaving, they said.
A spokesman for Mr Pernice said that they did not agree with Ms Abbington’s interpretation of the report and called it ‘a further attempt to damage Giovanni’s reputation’.
Asked by Ms Derbyshire how she reacted to the sexual gesture, Ms Abbington said: ‘Because you’re in this bubble of Strictly and in a room with someone, I was either being called names and worked without a break or this was happening.
‘It was very difficult, when you’re in a bubble of that for seven hours a day, you lose all sense of reality.’
The actress told Newnight when asked about how she will proceed now the report has been published, that she is ‘taking guidance from my lawyer on a day to day basis.’
Out of 17 allegations, the BBC upheld six, some of which are for Mr Pernice using swear words. The report found that his language could be ‘belittling.’
The BBC also agreed with Ms Abbington that at times he appeared to be giving her overly negative feedback.
Ms Abbington also believes there is a ‘significant’ reason why she thinks other allegations she made were not upheld.
The star told Newsnight that the ordeal after working with Mr Pernice had been the most difficult of her life.
In an interview with Victoria Derbyshire on Newsnight, Ms Abbington described her experience in the rehearsal room with Mr Pernice, where she said she ‘lost all sense of reality’
Ms Abbington claimed: ‘When I got a dance step right he would outline his erection in his trousers and told me that my dance move had made that happen’
She added: ‘It was very difficult, when you’re in a bubble of that for seven hours a day, you lose all sense of reality’
‘It has been one of the worst years of my life, I have been through a lot, women go through a lot,’ she said.
‘I have had to deal with a myriad of horrible things that have continued to happen just for complaining.’
Ms Abbington also said she first complained to Strictly producers after ‘about three or four days’ and she said they were ‘very sorry.’
Shortly after that cameras were put into their rehearsals.
Ms Abbington explained how she met up with other celebrities who were previously parternered with Pernice on the BBC show.
Revealing she invited the group to her house, Abbington said ‘we all cried, we all burst into tears.
‘We just wanted to make sure that we weren’t on our own and thinking this had just happened to us.’
‘Everyone I spoke to all said the same thing, it wasn’t pleasant and it wasn’t what everyone else was going through in the other [rehearsal] rooms.’
Abbington insisted that she didn’t make the decision to complain to BBC producers lightly, explaining: ‘I’m open to criticism. I don’t make problems or trouble where there is none.’
The actress said that she is ‘taking guidance from my lawyer on a day to day basis’
A spokesman for Mr Pernice said that they did not agree with Abbington’s interpretation of the report and called it a further attempt to damage Giovanni’s reputation
‘I have worked 32 years as an actress, in a job that started the Me Too movement and I have never had to leave a job or experience anything like I did in that rehearsal room. I don’t ever make accusations lightly.’
On Tuesday it was revealed that amongst the six complaints which were upheld by the Corporation’s HR bosses against professional dancer Pernice was a comment in which he told Abbington: ‘You have talent and you’re not using it.’
It is one of Mr Pernice’s wrongdoings which can now be disclosed after the much-anticipated verdict was unveiled on Monday which cleared him of the most serious allegations of physical aggression, but upheld verbal bullying and harassment.
Meanwhile, Giovanni said he was ‘pleased’ to be cleared of ‘threatening and abusive behaviour.’
The report also told how they had upheld six out of 17 allegations from Ms Abbington. The report said that Mr Pernice – a perfectionist – ‘was swearing and using what could be described as belittling language’ which it said amounted to bullying behaviour.
The BBC apologised to the former Sherlock actress and also thanked her for coming forward to raise her grievances.
Within the report of the six-month long investigation which cost the licence fee payers upwards of £250,000, investigators found that the Italian dance star had used belittling language. On another occasion he said: ‘I’m tired of it, if you want to look s*** I don’t care.’
Ms Abbington’s complaint that Mr Pernice would get frustrated with her while teaching her to dance was also upheld by the panel. However, it can be revealed that he told her: ‘You have such talent and you’re not using it.’
Another time he told her: ‘I don’t know how to ask you anymore,’ while another comment saw him tell her ‘it has been four days now and I don’t know what to do’, was also deemed to be wrongful behaviour.
In another outburst, Mr Pernice, 34, said ‘f*****’ while teaching her how to do a routine.
The Sherlock actress complained about her treatment on the show in 2023
Mr Pernice’s spokesperson said the dancer is ‘relieved’ after the ‘majority’ of claims against him were dismissed
Meanwhile, the allegation that the Sicilian born ballroom star had also given negative feedback was upheld, one example of which was him throwing his arms in the air and saying ‘f***.’ As a result, Mr Pernice was told by the BBC that he didn’t adapt enough to Ms Abbington’s needs.
Of the two complaints which were upheld of a sexual nature, one saw Mr Pernice grab his crotch and utter a lewd remark. He also told his dance partner that he ‘wanted to f***’ her. That comment came after Ms Abbington had pulled off a great move in the training studio and Mr Pernice was thrilled.
Despite many of Ms Abbington’s serious allegations being thrown out by the BBC, they did say sorry to her. In a statement released on Monday, they said: ‘The BBC has now concluded its review into the complaints made by Amanda Abbington against Giovanni Pernice.
‘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.’
In response, Ms Abbington said: ‘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.’
The BBC launched an investigation in April after Ms Abbington made a formal complaint to them about Mr Pernice.
It came three months after she told a red top newspaper that she got post-traumatic stress disorder from her time on Strictly.
Speaking of the review coming to an end, Mr Pernice told the Mail: ‘I’m glad the review has finally come to an end. I’m relieved that the allegations that I was threatening and abusive were found not to be true.
‘It has been an extremely difficult year, reading story after story and not being able to say anything in return as I respected the integrity of the review, which the BBC asked everyone to do.
‘I loved my time on Strictly and made some amazing memories. But now I am fully focused on Dancing With The Stars in Italy and supporting my dance partner Bianca.
‘I’m grateful to all those who have supported me at this time – I really don’t know how I would have got through this without the love and belief of my family, friends, colleagues and fans.’
