Amanda Abbington reveals she was bullied at school as she breaks down in tears amid Giovanni Pernice scandal
AMANDA Abbington has opened up on her bullying hell as a child amid Strictly’s abuse crisis.
Amanda’s claims that she was bullied by Giovanni Pernice on Strictly last year forced the BBC to launch an investigation – and encouraged more stars to come forward.
In Channel 5 documentary No Place Like Home, the Sherlock actress returned to her childhood home just north of London in Hertfordshire.
She was moved to tears as she revisited the place where she grew up.
Amanda, an only child, spent her early years in Potters Bar with her parents and her dog Ringo.
For the first time in 40 years, she was able to look inside the terraced cottage in Little Heath, thanks to the current owners who allowed her to visit.
Amanda told the cameras: “It was me and my mum and dad. This is where I used to play, and this was my manor as a kid, and I love it.
“It is strange. It has mixed feelings growing up here. I went to the local primary school and was bullied.
“It was a horrible, horrible, time. And so coming home was such an amazing place, and a place of peace as oppose to being at school.”
She went on: “It feels exactly the same as it did when I used to walk in from School. It’s really emotional, I loved this house, it was a really cool place to live.
“They were such good parents as well. They taught me such lovely things.”
Amanda learned about a group of local suffrogettes and women who were persecuted as witches.
Reflecting on her own experiences, she shared: “I was bullied when I was a child and I have taken that with me through my life.
“I was a little bit of a nerd, and a bit weird. So I feel like I stand arm in arm with the women who were brutalised like that.
“I’m not comparing me being bullied to what happened to them, but it is in the same arena. Being persecuted for being different.”
This week Amanda has spoken out about her time on Strictly in The Sun on Sunday, on Channel 4 News, and on ITV’s Lorraine.
During the interview, news anchor Krishnan said: “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?”
An emotional Amanda shed light on what went on in the rehearsal room with Giovanni.
Strictly's Full Scandal So Far
Strictly Come Dancing's scandal has been growing over the past few months, with several major players speaking out about what went on. Here are the key moments of what's happened so far
16th May: Giovanni Pernice sensationally quits Strictly Come Dancing after nine years on the show.
17th May: Giovanni becomes the centre of an official investigation after three former partners – believed to be Amanda Abbington, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh – make complaints to the BBC.
16th June: Giovanni releases an official statement vowing to clear his name and denies any wrongdoing.
8th July: Strictly confirms Aljaz Skorjanec will return to the series, replacing Giovanni, after initially quitting the show two years ago.
10th July: Amanda Abbington launches fresh legal proceedings to get the rehearsal footage from her time with Giovanni, after allegedly he refused to release the videos.
13th July: Graziano Di Prima is axed from Strictly for “gross misconduct” after footage of his treatment of Zara McDermott is brought to the attention of the BBC.
Graziano quickly broke his silence, apologising for his behaviour in a statement and saying he “deeply regrets it”, adding his “intense passion and determination to win might have affected his training regime.”
15th July: Strictly bosses implement new duty of care protocols, including having a chaperone present throughout all rehearsals.
16th July: Zara McDermott speaks out publicly for first time. She states while the production team were “amazing to work with”, she found the rehearsal room “completely different”, confirming there’s footage of “certain situations”.
19th July: Anton Du Beke is put under the spotlight for his “1970s attitude” and treatment of female celeb stars, particularly after allegedly referring to 2009 partner Laila Rouass as a “p***” after getting a spray tan.
21st July: Paralympian Will Bayley, who has limb condition arthrogryposis, revealed he was encouraged to leap from a table during a dance routine, despite fears. The stunt caused an injury that forced him to withdraw from the show.
22nd July: MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace admits he broke down in tears and got a nasty stress rash on his face during his time on Strictly in 2014.
23rd July: Celebrity agent Melanie Blake claims she was sexually assaulted by an unnamed pro dancer while backstage on the show, and claims she witnessed ageism, rudeness and a rough treatment to the point of injury.
23rd July: BBC boss Tim Davie breaks his silence on the ongoing allegations against Strictly, saying he is ‘deeply sorry’, adding: “Hundreds of people, be they pros, contestants or crew have been part of it and had a brilliant experience.
“At the same time if someone thinks there was something wrong or they want to talk about their experience then of course we want them to raise that with us. Be in no doubt we will take it seriously, listen and deal with it as appropriate.”
She told Channel 4: “It was unnecessary and when stuff was getting thrown at me I’d shut down, because I’ve been in abusive situations before in the past so I recognised the red flags.”
She added: “I know what happened to me in. I am not a sensational person. I am not a hysterical person.
“I don’t make things out to be bigger than they are. I know what happened in that room wasn’t acceptable.”
Giovanni has denied all allegations against him, and the BBC has 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.”