Yahoo News BBC apologises to Amanda Abbington as Strictly's Giovanni Pernice review concludes
The BBC has apologised to actor Amanda Abbington following complaints she made against her former Strictly Come Dancing partner Giovanni Pernice.
The broadcaster released a statement today (September 30) following the conclusion of its review into the Strictly dancer following complaints of alleged misconduct by the Sherlock star. The BBC has upheld "some but not all" of the complaints made against Pernice.
In her own statement, Abbington welcomed the corporation's apology, which she said was "a vindication" of her complaint and added: "What matters most now is that lessons have been learned."
A source close to Pernice, who had repeatedly denied claims of threatening or abusive behaviour, said that the former Strictly professional was "pleased that this has been thrown out".
BBC News is reporting that complaints of verbal bullying and harassment were upheld, but complaints of physical aggression were not upheld.
"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," the BBC's statement begins.
Deeming Strictly Come Dancing "a family show", the cooperation said it was a "great shame" that not everyone had a "joyous and transformative experience" but did recognise that the show's competitive element can make it "tough, rigorous and demanding" at times.
"We have assessed the complaints and we have upheld some, but not all, of the complaints made," its statement added.
"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."
Abbington acknowledged the BBC's apology today in her own response (via The Mirror).
"This apology means a great deal to me," she said. "So too does the fact that the BBC 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 BBC makes the changes they've promised, to ensure others don't experience the same ordeal that I and others like me did," she added.
Abbington further added that coming forward was "was not an easy thing to do" and referenced "vile abuse" directed both at her and her children by online trolls.
"I hope those who have felt unable to speak out now will be more confident that they will be listened to and believed. The BBC has invited me to meet with senior management and this is something I will now be considering," she also said in her statement.
According to BBC News, a source close to Pernice has said he is "pleased that this has been thrown out", adding that the past nine months had been "torrid" for him.
The source reiterated that "from the outset, Giovanni has rejected any claims of threatening or abusive behaviour" and added that the report had "upheld the weakest allegations put to him".
Pernice previously said he was "cooperating fully with the ongoing BBC investigation".
The BBC review has not been shared publicly, but The Mirror reports that Pernice was cleared of 10 of a total 16 allegations against him. According to the publication, six were upheld, with some focused on Pernice's expletive language.
BBC News reported that the review upheld six complaints out of a total of 17, but added that it had been unable to independently verify those figures.
When asked for further detail by BBC News, the BBC's chief content officer Charlotte Moore said: "I'm not able to go into further detail on that, and there are very good reasons for that.
"It's probably worth me just laying out the confidentiality of a complaints process, which I think is absolutely integral to the complaints process, and confidentiality needs to be respected out of fairness to everybody involved."
Abbington quit the 2024 series of Strictly Come Dancing last October, citing personal reasons for her exit at the time.
In June, the BBC confirmed that Pernice would not return to the Strictly professional lineup for the 2o24 series.
This month, Pernice joined the professional line-up of Ballando con le Stelle – the Italian version of Dancing With the Stars – where he is currently competing with actor Bianca Guaccero.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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