Amanda Abbington’s friend reveals heartbreaking reason why star was ‘so vulnerable’ before Giovanni Strictly row
AMANDA Abbington’s friend has revealed the heartbreaking reason why she was ‘so vulnerable’ before the Giovanni Pernice Strictly row.
In a week of bombshell interviews, with her first being with The Sun on Sunday, Amanda has made more shock claims about the BBC show and her former dance partner, Giovanni.
The actress quit mid-series last year and, in January, requested rehearsal footage to prove Giovanni’s training methods weren’t acceptable.
A friend of Amanda’s has now hinted she may have been a “little vulnerable” before she signed up for Strictly.
Actress Debbie Arnold, 69, told the Express: “Amanda was perhaps a little vulnerable when she started, which she might not have realised.
“Sometimes you get yourself in a position and say, ‘Do you know what, I just can’t cope anymore.’
“Nonetheless, you need to be brave to walk away.”
Giovanni quit the BBC show earlier this year.
His exit came the BBC probe misconduct allegations from several of his former celebrity dance partners – claims he strongly denies.
He has previously been partnered with Laura Whitmore, Faye Tozer, Michelle Visage, Ranvir Singh, Richie Anderson, and Rose Ayling-Ellis, who he won with in 2021.
In the same week BBC bosses confirmed Strictly is returning to screens in September, Amanda, 50, broke her silence in an exclusive interview with The Sun on Sunday.
She followed this with an interview on Channel 4 News with Strictly co-star and newsreader Krishnan-Guru Murthy on Wednesday night.
Then on Thursday, she recalled the first time she spoke to Strictly bosses about Giovanni’s behaviour in a third tell-all interview on ITV‘s Lorraine.
Here are the biggest bombshell claims Amanda has made in a week of sensational interviews.
BBC ‘hasn’t been in touch’
Amanda said the BBC hadn’t been in touch since she went public with her allegations in January.
She said: “I got several messages afterwards from some of the producers, just checking in to see how I was,” the star said.
“But then when all the fallout happened, and then everybody started piling on and the death threats came in, and they were reported in the press and all the misinformation went out there. I didn’t really hear from anybody again.”
50 hours of reheasal footage ‘blocked’
Amanda has instructed lawyers to see footage of her rehearsals, and said the BBC were withholding 50 hours of training from her.
“There’s 50 hours of footage that’s being blocked,” she said.
“You know, 50 hours is a lot of footage, and a lot of time spent in a room that was toxic.”
She added to C4 News: “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.”
Death threats towards her children
Tearful Amanda told Channel 4 News: “It’s been brutal and relentless and unforgiving.”
“Well the aftermath has been something that I wasn’t expecting you know, the death threats and rape threats towards not only to myself but to my daughter. And threats of death to my son.”
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.
22nd July: Despite ongoing issues, the Strictly professional cast begin rehearsals for this year’s series.
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: Strictly is forced to beef up security after ‘an intruder scales the wall of the rehearsal studio’.
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.”
24th July: Strictly 2023 star Krishnan Guru-Murthy holds a bombshell interview with Amanda Abbington on Channel 4 news, where she claims she was bullied, with some of the ‘humilation being of a sexual nature’.
27th July: Laura Whitmore releases a statement regarding her Strictly experience, saying “I thought my experience was specific to me but I’ve since learned I was wrong”.
She adds she is not part of the official complaint, but has come forward to support Amanda with the BBC, alongside others.
28th July: Laila Rouass speaks out against the accusations regarding Anton Du Beke, saying she “never felt pressured” by him and “personally insisted on six to seven hours training a day”.
She added: “I was getting dozens a day, on social media. Dozens.
“‘Just go and kill yourself, I hope you die of cancer, your kids will be better off without you as a mother, I hope your daughter gets raped, I hope your son gets stabbed, how could you destroy something like Strictly, you’re a snowflake, you’re an idiot, poor Giovanni’. It was just all the time.”
Amanda continued: “I know what happened to me in. I am not a sensational person. I am not a hysterical person.”
Some bullying was ‘of a sexual nature’
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 said: “Yeah. I mean, you know, one of the many things.”
She also shed light on what went on in the rehearsal room, saying: “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.
“I’d shut down and wouldn’t be able to do it because I felt attacked, not literally attacked.”
Six Strictly stars have complained
Other stars have complained about the behaviour of Giovanni, 33, and fellow Italian Graziano Di Prima.
Amanda told The Sun: “I’m proud of the people who have come forward. Daring to say something is a big step for people. The BBC must have been turning a blind eye and the fact other people have come forward must mean there is something going on that is endemic.”
‘Giovanni HATES me’
Amanda opened up on ITV daytime show Lorraine on Thursday to stand-in show host Christine Lampard, 45.
Constrained by legal restrictions on how much she could say, Amanda attempted to explain the conduct of the Italian professional on Strictly.
She said: “It was inappropriate. It was mean, it was nasty, it was bullying, and I put up with it for five weeks.
“It started early on and when it started to happen I would shut down, because I recognised those red flags.”
When Lorraine presenter Christine asked when she became aware there was an issue, she bluntly said: “Week one, third day.
“I have got texts to the producers on day three saying ‘this is awful, he hates me’ and ‘I don’t know what I have done wrong.’
“And that was in the first week,” before admitting there were “many” such chats which followed with those working at the BBC.
BBC’s response
Following Amanda’s week of revelations, a BBC spokesperson 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.
“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.”
In a statement Giovanni Pernice’s spokesperson added: “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.”
Giovanni Pernice Strictly scandal timeline
October 2023: Amanda abruptly withdraws from Strictly having already missed one live show. Her departure is announced in a vague BBC statement that ‘wishes her the best’.
Giovanni posts a short message on social media addressing the exit, which read: “Amanda… I am so sad we can’t continue but I am proud of what we achieved and I am sending you so much love.”
Amanda then shares her own farewell statement on Instagram thanking co-stars but failing to mention Gio.
Giovanni’s dad Piero insists there were no signs of a fall out and the pairing could have gone all the way. He praised his son as kind and polite.
November 2023: Giovanni is reportedly gutted by the situation and is considering his Strictly future as questions are raised about his conduct.
January 2024: Amanda’s PTSD diagnosis comes to light and she demands CCTV from rehearsals to prove that Giovanni’s training methods weren’t acceptable.
The BBC issues a statement defending its duty of care to contestants, insisting it takes any claims of wrongdoing very seriously.
The Corporation stands by its man after emergency meeting
March 2024: Giovanni publicly states he has no intention of leaving Strictly in a TV interview with close pal Anton du Beke.
Ranvir Singh and Laura Whitmore enter the picture. Allegedly the two celebs, who were both previously partnered with Giovanni on Strictly, didn’t feel the BBC took their issues with his methods seriously enough.
The pair have a closed meeting with Amanda where tears are said to be shed.
May 2024: We reveal Giovanni is leaving the programme after having talks with show bosses
He leaves the country with girlfriend Molly Brown on holiday
The BBC launches an internal investigation after three complainants instruct lawyers. A source describes it as a “nightmare situation”.
