Giovanni Pernice lashes out at BBC amid Amanda Abbington Strictly row
GIOVANNI Pernice is said to be unhappy that he was paired with Amanda Abbington in the first place – and blames the BBC for what happened.
The dancer, 33, is hoping his name will be cleared when the results of an investigation, launched by the BBC following allegations made about him by Amanda, are published this week.
Sources says he believes Amanda should have undergone psychological tests before they would put together and he considering making his own complaint to the BBC.
A friend told the Mail: “Gio feels like he has been failed in terms of their duty of care,’ says one friend of the star.”
The Sun previously told the details of a secret recording between the pair.
In it, Amanda says: “I know I’m a nightmare” and “You probably feel like throwing me out of a window.”
Giovanni‘s people touted the recording as “bombshell evidence” that will clear his name.
But the Sun revealed that a source close to Amanda said: “This tape has been billed as bombshell evidence, however it’s the type of everyday discussions that go on between partners and pros that go on in rehearsals, which can, obviously, be very fraught.
“The idea that this is some kind of ‘smoking gun’ that will exonerate Giovanni from his alleged behaviour is absurd.
“The transcript is just dialogue between the pair, Amanda is being self-deprecating and was clearly trying to cope in a difficult situation, she had no idea Giovanni was secretly recording her.”
Giovanni’s spokesman said: “We would urge people to wait for the review‘s conclusion and not to pay heed to these very serious and defamatory allegations that have no evidence in support of them.”
On Saturday, TV presenter Laura Whitmore alleged that she was subjected to “inappropriate behaviour” during her stint on the programme.
The former Love Island host, 39, was partnered with Giovanni in 2016 and was the seventh celebrity eliminated.
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”.