Giovanni Pernice’s ex-Strictly partner Laura Whitmore has finally spoken out after the results of the Amanda Abbington investigation were made public.
On Sunday evening, the professional dancer, who had been a part of the BBC show for nearly ten years before stepping down, broke his silence after being absolved of allegations levelled against him on Strictly.
The Italian hoofer took to social media to express his relief that “it’s over”. Sharing a video on Instagram, the 34 year old star confessed that the past six or seven months had been challenging as he couldn’t respond “because I wanted to keep the confidentiality and privacy of the review”.
Read more – Giovanni Pernice told Amanda Abbington he wanted to ‘f*** her’, Strictly probe says
After a six-month probe into Amanda Abbington’s accusations, bosses concluded that the dancer was not physically abusive. However, Amanda’s complaints about verbal bullying and harassment were validated. Out of a total of 16 allegations against Pernice, six were upheld. Some of these included Giovanni using profanity, reports the Mirror.
The report stated that the dancer’s language could be ‘belittling’ towards his partner. Following the findings of the report, the BBC apologised to former contestant Amanda Abbington, confirming it had upheld “some, but not all, of the complaints made”.
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”.
Now, Giovanni’s former Strictly Come Dancing partner Laura has broken her silence. The ex-Love Island host, 39, who was paired with the Italian dancer back in 2016, was one of the celebrities who spoke to the BBC as part of the investigations after what she described as his ‘inappropriate’ behaviour on the show.
Laura slammed the BBC in 2016 and again in August 2024, accusing them of ‘gaslighting’ her regarding her ordeal with the Italian dancer. After the investigation’s findings, she took to Instagram stories, stating: “‘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 quick to back Amanda Abbington’s claims against Giovanni earlier this year, sharing her ‘own experience’ on Instagram. She felt compelled to speak out amidst media speculation, saying: “I was trying not to comment on recent press speculation until the BBC review is complete but feel there is a lot of misinformation in the press and I want to help and show support by setting the record straight.”
She revealed that she and six others (who wish to remain anonymous) spoke to the BBC about ‘inappropriate behaviour they experienced similar to mine with the same individual. ‘.
“I initially raised concerns back in 2016. I thought my experience was specific to me but I’ve since learned I was wrong. The aim of this is to show a pattern of behaviour that I believe needs to stop. My evidence is to support other people’s experience. It’s a shame it takes this for someone to be heard.”
The former Love Island host added: “I am not looking for anything just an acceptance that what happened to me in the rehearsal rooms during my time on BBC Strictly was wrong and that it won’t happen to anyone else again.”
“Because I have not made an official complaint, and am providing evidence of my experience to support the investigation, not all the communication will be passed on to all parties involved.”
“Misinformation is being put into the press so I want to set the record straight. Victim blaming must stop or we will never get better. I’ve tried to speak up in the correct way. I know the BBC and all outlets continue to do their best to be better, but for that to happen we must speak up.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
