has finally spoken out following the explosive results of the probe surrounding her allegations against her former partner .
The ‘s investigation, which was made public today (September 30), found no evidence of physical aggression but did substantiate claims of verbal bullying and harassment. The corporation extended an apology to the 50-year-old Sherlock star, who described her experience as being in a “toxic environment” and subjected to “inappropriate, mean, nasty bullying”.
In her response to the report, Amanda expressed that despite enduring horrendous abuse, she has “never regretted coming forward” and views the ‘s apology as a “vindication” for her actions. She also disclosed that she has been offered a chance to discuss the matter with the ‘s senior management, which she is contemplating.
Amanda stated: “As the has indicated today in its statement, my decision to come forward and complain about Giovanni Pernice’s conduct towards me was not an easy thing to do. In the days, weeks and months since I contacted the , I’ve been accused of being a liar, a troublemaker and of being ‘mad and unstable’. I’ve also received rape and murder threats and a bomb threat was sent to my place of work. My family and children have also been subjected to threats and intimidation.”
“Despite this vile abuse, I’ve never regretted coming forward, and today’s apology from the is a vindication of my complaint. It’s not just a vindication for me, it’s a vindication for the other people who have contacted me since I made my complaint to express concerns about their own experiences on . I hope those who have felt unable to speak out now will be more confident that they will be listened to and believed. The has invited me to meet with senior management and this is something I will now be considering”, reports .
Amanda Abbington has broken her silence on the BBC probe results (Image: BBC)
“This apology means a great deal to me. So too does the fact that the have acknowledged the steps that were put in place to support and protect me and past contestants were ‘not enough’. What matters most now is that lessons have been learned and that the makes the changes they’ve promised, to ensure others don’t experience the same ordeal that I and others like me did.”
Amanda suddenly quit the show in October, citing health reasons for her exit and went on to reveal that she has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which she claimed was due to Giovanni’s “militant” style of training.
Following her formal complaint, the initiated an internal probe into the treatment of Strictly’s celebrity participants, involving the examination of rehearsal footage and interviews with backstage staff.
Giovanni, who has consistently refuted all allegations against him, resigned from the show in May.
The actor said she feels “vindicated” following the results (Image: PA)
Just two months later in July, fellow professional dancer Graziano Di Prima was axed within 48 hours of executives reviewing footage of his incident with celebrity partner Zara McDermott. In the same month, Amanda participated in two television interviews to provide more details about her accusations against Giovanni.
During her Channel 4 interview, she publicly accused the Sicilian-born professional of ‘sexual bullying’ for the first time. She also alleged there was ’50 hours of blocked footage’ from her training sessions.
Giovanni has vehemently denied all allegations against him and was reported to be resolute in clearing his name, with his representatives claiming they had ‘bombshell’ evidence that could ‘prove Amanda was a liar’. executives were reportedly in a state of ‘complete meltdown’ over how to handle the situation, particularly as they were trying to secure celebrities for the upcoming series.
has introduced several major changes in their training regime this year. They’ve reinstated a weekly cap on practice hours, originally implemented the previous year.
This cap restricts celebrities and their pro partners to roughly 48 hours of rehearsal each week or an average of eight hours per day, with one day off included.
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Contestants have the flexibility to schedule their rehearsals as they see fit, provided they do not surpass the allocated weekly sum. The decision to apply this cap was made to ensure fair competition amongst all participants.
Moreover, training sessions are now closely monitored with chaperones present “at all times” when couples are practicing. It has also come to light that staff have been subject to extensive investigations, including checks of their emails, text messages and WhatsApps, amid the inquiry into allegations of bullying associated with Strictly.
Staff members’ mobile devices have been scrutinised for any mentions of Giovanni Pernice or Amanda Abbington, the latter accusing the professional dancer of misconduct. It’s believed Amanda’s representatives prompted a subject access request to the , seeking personal data that might reveal insights into her and Gio’s interactions.
An insider commented: “People complied with it in the hope that it shoots down any claims of a cover-up.”
Strictly bosses have implemented several new rules (Image: ITV News)
In a candid interview, Amanda revealed what it was like training on the show for six weeks. She said: “It was inappropriate, it was mean, it was nasty, it was bullying and I put up with it for five, six weeks. It started very early on and when it started to happen I would shut down… I recognised those red flags.”
She continued: “I was going into the rehearsal room every day. I’ve been in rehearsal rooms for 32 years. I know what rehearsal rooms are supposed to be like. I don’t care what background you’re from whether it’s dancing, acting, singing you have a duty of care to bring into that rehearsal room compassion, understanding, sensitivity and kindness.”