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Amanda Abbington has reportedly been left blindsided by a phone call from Giovanni Pernice amid the ongoing Strictly Come Dancing scandal.
Professional dancer Pernice has been embroiled in a behind-the-scenes controversy after Abbington complained to the BBC about his conduct while being partnered with him on the series in 2023.
While it was reported that the investigation had drawn to a close last month, with Pernice on the cusp of finding out the results, it was then revealed that Sherlock star Abbington had been “questioned a second time” about her claims amid “new evidence”.
It’s now being claimed that Pernice tried to call Abbington amid these reports, with a source telling The Sun: “Giovanni tried to call Amanda a few weeks ago. Nobody knows why.”
“They’ve not spoken since she quit the show, so for him to call out of the blue, especially with an inquiry taking place, is very odd. Amanda didn’t want to speak to him and blocked his number. She wants nothing to do with Giovanni.”
The source claimed that Pernice tried to call Abbington just once. The Independent has contacted Abbington and Pernice for comment. Pernice has repeatedly denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
It’s believed that Abbington spoke to BBC bosses once again after she alleged the dancer made sexual comments in the rehearsal room. According to The Sun, as the BBC was about to conclude its investigation, Abbington shared texts that reportedly reveal Pernice “stepped over the line of what is acceptable”,
Last month, in an interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy for Channel 4 News, Abbington claimed that the show’s producers installed cameras in her rehearsal room after she raised concerns about Pernice.
“Every Friday, after the next sort of five weeks, I would get the producer saying, on the Friday, ‘We just watched the footage back, we are shocked and horrified, we’re so sorry’. That was to my face on the Friday when we would go in and do the camera rehearsal,” she said.
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“It’s out there. There is evidence out there of what happened in that room and I’m not the one who’s blocking it. I’ve said anyone can watch it, but he [Giovanni] doesn’t want anyone to see it, which is quite telling if he’s got nothing to hide.”
Asked by Guru-Murthy if she was talking about bullying, she replied: “Yes, it’s bullying and it’s aggressive behaviour, there were other things that were very upsetting, that you manage in the room at the time, because you’re a woman, and you have to manage those things because otherwise, what do you do?”
Guru-Murthy, who appeared on the same series of Strictly as Abbington, replied: “I heard, not from you, from somebody else, about an instance of, I suppose you’d call it humiliating behaviour of a sexual nature, is that right?”
A tearful Abbington replied: “Yeah. I mean, you know, one of the many things.”
Abbington suddenly quit Strictly five episodes into the 2023 season citing medical reasons at the time. The actor added that in the aftermath of her exit, she received “death threats” and “rape threats towards not only myself, but my daughter, and the threats of death to my son.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “Anyone involved in a complaint has a right to confidentiality and fair process and therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further on individuals. However, when issues are raised with us we always take them extremely seriously and have appropriate processes in place to manage this. As we have said before, we would urge people not to indulge in speculation.
“More generally, the BBC and BBC Studios takes duty of care extremely seriously. Our processes on Strictly Come Dancing are updated every year, they are kept under constant review and last week we announced additional steps to further strengthen welfare and support on the show.”
Pernice has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. In a statement in response to the Channel 4 interview, the dancer’s spokesperson said: “We are cooperating fully with the BBC’s review process. All parties have been asked to respect this process and to not speak to the media before it concludes. We will continue to respect the integrity of the investigation and believe it is the right forum for all the evidence to be reviewed.
“As part of the evidence-led review, the BBC has shared the allegations they have been able to substantiate with us. They do not resemble Amanda’s latest allegations, given to Channel 4, in any shape or form. Giovanni refutes any claim of threatening or abusive behaviour, and having provided the BBC with his evidence, is confident that the review will prove this.”
On 10 June, the BBC announced that Pernice – who has been on the show since 2015 – would not be participating in the forthcoming 2024 season. Weeks later, Graziano Di Prima was dropped from the show after his alleged mistreatment of his celebrity partner, Zara McDermott, in 2023 was made public.
Di Prima has since called the claims levied against him “vile” and “false”.
