Amanda Abbington has unveiled the response from BBC bosses when she asked for rehearsal tapes.
The Strictly scandal continues to deepen, as the broadcaster continues to face questions on why rehearsal footage has not been released. An internal investigation into the show is ongoing, and two stars – Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice – have left.
Investigations into the dancing competition kicked off earlier this year, when Sherlock actress Amanda, 50, first made claims of bullying and abuse at the hands of former dance partner Giovanni Pernice, 33. She said the experience was so tough for her that she was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Giovanni has strongly denied all the allegations being made against him by Amanda, as more stars came forward – including Love Island host Laura Whitmore and Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh. Gio has instructed a top legal firm to deal with the claims being made against him and has said he looks forward to “clearing his name”.
(Image: PA)
Abbington spoke out publicly for the first time on Channel 4 News on Wednesday (July 24), where she admitted that she had felt “abandoned” by the show. Speaking to Strictly co-star Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Amanda said that the process was “brutal, and relentless and unforgiving”.
She added: “The aftermath has been something that I wasn’t expecting. You know, the death threats and the rape threats towards not only myself but my daughter, and threats of deaths to my son.”
The Mr Selfridge star went on to explain that she is trying to get hold of some 50 hours of rehearsal footage from the BBC, after they installed cameras in the studio when she raised her initial concerns. However, according to the actress, the footage is “being blocked” by the BBC.
“So in the first week, I raised my concerns to the producers,” Amanda recalled. “Giovanni said that he asked for the cameras; he didn’t ask for the cameras – I know that he didn’t ask for the cameras, because the producers came to me and said, ‘We’re going to put in cameras so we can view the footage at the end of the week and make an assessment and see what’s going on’.”
After recording and reviewing the footage, Amanda claimed producers told her they were “shocked and horrified” by what they saw. She explained that producers would often call her apologising for the trauma that she went through, right before she would go into rehearsals to record training footage for the show.
(Image: PA)
It comes just 24 hours after the BBC’s Director-General, Sir Tim Davie outright apologised for the ongoing debacle on the show. He also said sorry to the growing number of celebrities who have come forward with their own allegations of bullying and abuse, but insisted that the show will go on and Strictly would weather the storm.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
