Ex- professional is “pleased” a BBC review into complaints by former dance partner Amanda Abbington has not found any evidence of threatening or abusive behaviour by him, his spokesman said.
The statement read: “We are pleased that this six month review has not found any evidence of threatening or abusive behaviour by Giovanni. Gio is relieved that the overwhelming majority of allegations put to the have not been upheld and looks forward to continuing his work on Dancing With The Stars in Italy this season.”
It comes after months of waiting for the pro dancer, who quit the show earlier this year following Amanda’s allegations made against him.
The has cleared him of “abusive, threatening and intimidating behaviour”, but upheld some of Amanda’s complaints about his verbal conduct towards her.
The broadcaster also issued an apology to Amanda, saying they had assessed and upheld “some, but not all, of the complaints made”.
In their statement, the said it takes allegations of bullying and harassment ‘very seriously’ and that the review into Abbington’s complaints took time because of their complexity, and for ‘a rigorous and robust process’.
Giovanni has addressed the probe results (Image: Getty)
Giovanni has issued a statement to his fans (Image: Getty)
The statement read: “We take any allegations of bullying and harassment very seriously and this review has taken time due to its complex nature and our desire to ensure a rigorous and robust process was undertaken.
” is a family show and we rightly expect very high standards.
“While competition can be tough, rigorous and demanding, we want the show to ultimately be a joyous and transformative experience.
“It is a great shame if this hasn’t been the case for everyone who has appeared on the show. We have assessed the complaints and we have upheld some, but not all, of the complaints made.
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“We want to apologise to Amanda Abbington and to thank her for coming forward and taking part. We know this would not have been an easy thing to do.”
It continued: “At the time, although the production team took steps to address the issues as they understood them, ultimately these were not enough. This is why the measures we have taken to further strengthen our existing protocols are so important.
“The heard from a number of individuals in making its findings. We want to thank them for participating. The has already taken extensive steps to enhance our duty of care for everyone on the show and a full note of these steps is published alongside this statement.”