Giovanni Pernice reportedly told Amanda Abbington he wanted to have sex with her.
Both stars claimed a win as the Strictly bullying probe verdict was revealed by the BBC on Monday (30 September). The BBC has apologised to Sherlock actress Amanda after it upheld six of 17 of her complaints about Giovanni during their stint on the show last year.
Giovanni was cleared of the most serious allegations – including that he was “threatening and abusive”. His team has claimed the upheld complaints are “trivial”, but Amanda has argued she feels ‘vindicated’ by complaining and that she was right to come forward.
READ MORE: Giovanni Pernice breaks silence with one-word response after Strictly probe verdict
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Among the upheld complaints were “isolated incidents where Giovanni swore or threw his hands in the air”. But another account in the investigation detailed how Giovanni told his dance partner he “wanted to f*** her”.
(Image: No credit)
It’s claimed he made a crude gesture and a lewd comment, telling his dance partner he “wanted to f*** her”, reports OK!. But a source close to Giovanni insisted: “This was all done in jest and perceived in this way by Amanda. They were intended as jokes and compliments of her dancing style. Her language could be just as coarse back.”
He was cleared of allegations of threatening, abusive, and physical behaviour. However, a source close to Amanda told The Mirror: “Any findings of workplace misconduct by an internal investigation is pretty extraordinary.
(Image: BBC)
“It really says something, and was deemed serious enough to apologise. It also shows up his teaching methods which he has so publicly said was beyond criticism. Giovanni certainly hasn’t been cleared as he would like to portray.”
The insider affirmed that other testimonies supported Amanda’s account, conveying: “This is corroborated by a number of different people, ex-contestants, dancers, choreographers. It is not an insignificant number of people who have supported her. She is relieved as many thought it would be a massive fudge. A lot of people thought it shouldn’t be an internal investigation at all but given to an external body to consider.”
(Image: PA)
Giovanni, who has left Strictly, is now appearing on the Italian version of Strictly – and his team say the six complaints upheld are “trivial”. Giovanni expressed his relief at the verdict on Instagramwriting: “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.
“The majority of the false allegations have been thrown out by the review. 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.”
In the BBC’s statement, they issued an apology to Amanda, writing: “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. At the time, although the production team took steps to address the issues as they understood them, ultimately these were not enough. This is why the measures we have taken to further strengthen our existing protocols are so important.”
Amanda shared her experience over the past year since making the complaints, revealing she was accused of “being a liar, a troublemaker and of being ‘mad and unstable'”. She continued: “I’ve also received rape and murder threats. My family and children have 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 also a vindication for the others who have contacted me to express concerns about their own experiences on Strictly.”
“I hope those who have felt unable to speak out will now be more confident that they will be 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 is that lessons have been learned and the BBC makes the promised changes, to ensure others don’t experience the same ordeal.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
