August 11th 2024.
Amanda Abbington, the 50-year-old actress, has once again been questioned by BBC about allegations against her former Strictly Come Dancing partner, Giovanni Pernice. This time, the questions revolved around alleged "crude" remarks made by Pernice during rehearsals. The BBC's investigation into these allegations is ongoing and Abbington participated in a video call last week with two former detectives who asked her questions.
According to reports from The Sun, the actress discussed her claims of sexual comments made by Pernice during rehearsals. The 33-year-old professional dancer has denied these allegations and is looking forward to clearing his name. A source close to the BBC stated that they are taking the matter very seriously.
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Despite Pernice's insistence that he has done nothing wrong, Abbington maintains that everything she has told the BBC is true. She has described him as "nasty" and has accused him of exhibiting bullying behavior. The professional dancer, who was revealed to have left Strictly in June, is currently under investigation following these allegations.
In an interview with Channel 4's Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Abbington claimed that she is being blocked from accessing 50 hours of footage showing a "toxic" rehearsal room. She requested for their rehearsals to be filmed after the first week and claims that BBC staff were "shocked and horrified" by what they saw. She also alleged that Pernice exhibited "humiliating behavior of a sexual nature."
During the interview, Guru-Murthy mentioned hearing from someone else about Abbington being subjected to "humiliating behavior of a sexual nature" and asked if the allegation was true. The actress nodded her head, wiped away tears, and hesitantly confirmed it. The journalist apologized and she replied, "It's alright. It's OK. Yeah. One of the many things."
A representative for Pernice stated that he denies any claim of threatening or abusive behavior and has provided evidence to the BBC. They are confident that the ongoing review will prove his innocence and urge people to wait for its conclusion before believing these "very serious and defamatory allegations."
In light of these allegations, the BBC has introduced new welfare measures for the upcoming 2024 series of Strictly, including having a chaperone present during every training session. This comes after Graziano Di Prima also left the show following claims that he "kicked and hit" his partner, Zara McDermott, during rehearsals for the 2023 season. In his first interview since his exit, Di Prima claims that his foot "brushed" McDermott after he kicked the floor in frustration due to the pressure of the show.
Despite the controversy, Strictly is promoting their 20th anniversary series and has announced 12 castmates, including Shayne Ward, Tom Dean, and Tasha Ghouri. Some viewers have criticized the lineup, claiming that the caliber of celebrities has lowered and linking it to the recent scandal. There have also been questions about one star having too much dance experience.
The Agency has reached out to the BBC and representatives for Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice for comment. If you have a celebrity story, video, or pictures, don't hesitate to get in touch with the The Agency entertainment team by emailing us, calling 020 3615 2145, or visiting our Submit Stuff page. We would love to hear from you.
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