Former Strictly pro Giovanni Pernice reportedly has “concrete” evidence Amanda Abbington is ‘lying’ about her claims.
The Italian dancer has left BBC show and his ex-dance partner Amanda alleged she suffered bullying and misconduct during her time as a contestant. The BBC has since launched an internal probe into alleged misconduct suffered by celebs, but Gio has denied all wrongdoing.
His co-star and fellow Italian hunk, Graziano di Prima, was given the boot from the show after video footage showed the Sicilian kicking partner Zara McDermott. He has since apologised for his actions.
READ MORE: All of Amanda Abbington’s explosive Strictly claims from bombshell TV interviews
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This week has seen Amanda do two interviews with the media – the first with Channel 4 News with Strictly co-star Krishnan Guru-Murthy, and the second with Christine Lampard filling in for Lorraine Kelly on her ITV show. In the interviews, Amanda spoke openly on the effect of the investigation and how it has hurt her and her family.
However, Amanda appeared to spark fury from Giovanni and his legal team after she claimed that there was bullying of a “sexual” nature taking place in rehearsals. Now, a pal of the Italian star claims Giovanni’s team have found bombshell evidence that proves that the Sherlock actress is “telling lies”.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the source said: “Gio is so cross; he just can’t work out why she would come out and say these things. She didn’t give any further detail, it’s like she drops a bomb and then doesn’t follow it through.
(Image: ITV News)
“The verdict is just days away now, it’s the home straight for him but he is absolutely determined to clear his name.
“He and his team are adamant that there is something concrete which will prove that Amanda is telling lies,” they added. “He can’t wait for the truth to come out, it will be a huge relief for him.”
(Image: BBC)
The insider finished: “Giovanni is not going let this go. It is basically war now. He will clear his name with all the evidence he has.”
Giovanni’s legal team claim that they only discovered the evidence minutes before Amanda’s explosive interview with Channel 4 News. They also denied Abbington’s claims that ’50 hours’ of rehearsal footage is being blocked by the star.
(Image: BBC/Guy Levy)
In a statement released to the Mail, a spokesperson for Pernice said: “Giovanni has not seen or blocked [anyone from seeing] the video footage, which belongs to the BBC. Gio has chosen not to receive it to preserve the integrity of the review.”
Amanda has said that she has been unable to go into further detail on the claims that she made, as the investigation into the allegations remains underway. However, she has branded the time she spent with Giovanni in training as “abusive, cruel and mean”.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
