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Giovanni Pernice breaks silence as the BBC reveal Strictly investigation findings

Gio has thanked fans for their support

Author: Alex RossPublished 1st Oct 2024

Despite the odd message to thank fans for their support, professional dancer Giovanni Pernice has stayed relatively silent on the accusations against him, made by his former Strictly Come Dancing partner Amanda Abbington.

Now, as the BBC published their investigation findings on Monday 30th September, where they upheld some, but not all, of the complaints made, Giovanni has now broken his silence on the matter.

In a video to his followers, the Italian dancer said: 'Hello everyone, it’s me.

'It’s over. It’s finished.

'Six months, seven months of all of this. Seven months of reading everyday things in the newspaper and not be able to respond because I wanted to keep the confidentiality and privacy of the review, was a difficult time. It was difficult because, you know, reading stuff that were untrue, wasn’t the nicest time of my life lets be honest.

'But today im happy because, you know, at the beginning there were very very serious allegations thrown out at me but as in today, none of the serious allegations have been upheld.

'All the threatening, abusive, harassment behaviour allegations have not been upheld.

'And today is a day, you know when we can all reflect because, you see, I appreciate that dancing is a very difficult thing to do. It’s a, it’s erm, it’s a sport, it’s something that is difficult in every possible way and sometimes you get frustrated, you know, as a teacher, as a dancer, as a performer. But the only reason why you get frustrated is because you care about what you do.

'You know as a professional, as a teacher, I care about, I want to get the best out of my partner, and sometimes I do get frustrated. I think everybody around the world does the same thing, it’s called being professional and I love, I love doing that. You know even now with Bianca, I get frustrated, I think it’s a normal thing but then you get out the best and the results come forward.

'But im happy because none of this serious allegation has been upheld.

'I have to be honest, and with all of you because without, without your love, your messages, your support, your constant support, I don’t know if I would be able to even make this message right now.

'I’m happy because today I can carry on to do what I was born to do, and I love to do which is entertain all of you, because this is my life. This is what I do, so im always grateful to all of you and just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, and saying that I love you all and always, always thank you.

'Gio x'. (sic)

After months of investigations by the BBC, they finally released the results of their findings yesterday, apologising to Amanda Abbington in the process.

A statement by the BBC said: "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.

"Strictly Come Dancing 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. 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.

"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 BBC heard from a number of individuals in making its findings. We want to thank them for participating.

"The BBC 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."

Following the report findings, actress Amanda also released her own statement, saying: "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 BBC, 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 BBC 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 Strictly Come Dancing.

"I hope those who have felt unable to speak out now will be more confident that they will be listened to and believed."

After being removed from Strictly Come Dancing alongside fellow pro Graziano Di Prima, Giovanni has now landed a role on the Italian version of the show, which is filming as we speak.

Meanwhile, the current 20th anniversary series of Strictly is airing every weekend on BBC One, with Movie Week gracing our screens next.