Giovanni Pernice, the Strictly Come Dancing professional, has broken his silence over the allegations made against him by Amanda Abbington, saying he did not feel safe dancing with her.
The 34-year-old was accused by his dance partner of inappropriate sexual conduct and bullying during their 2023 Strictly rehearsals.
Speaking about the claims for the first time since he was cleared by a BBC investigation, Mr Pernice said he was so fearful that Ms Abbington would lie about their time in the studio that he secretly began to film the sessions.
“I started to record myself on my phone,” he told the Daily Mail. “Obviously we were dancing and I wanted to see the video back but at the same time, I did it to protect myself.
“I told the production team I was doing it because I didn’t feel comfortable in the room, I didn’t feel safe.
“At that point, I didn’t think she was going to accuse me of anything – but she was saying one thing to me and something else to others on the WhatsApp group. She was telling two different versions of the story.”
The actress claimed that Pernice’s behaviour in the rehearsal room was “inappropriate, mean, nasty and bullying”, and the BBC upheld six of her 17 complaints following a six-month investigation.
He was cleared of intimidating or aggressive behaviour but was found to have used “belittling” language and given negative feedback.
Mr Pernice claimed that Ms Abbington began to tell conflicting stories about their training sessions in the first week of the show. He said another celebrity contestant told him she had sent messages to others saying that she was uphappy, while thanking Mr Pernice for being an “incredible teacher”.
“I’ve still got [Amanda’s] messages,” he said. “They say ‘thank you so much for your patience today, you’re an incredible teacher’ so I just thought it was all great.
“Then one of the celebrities came to me and said ‘you didn’t have a great week, did you?’ I was like, ‘what are you talking about?’ But Amanda had told them she had a horrible week – and that was week one, before the show had even started.”
He also said the pair were taken to see the show’s producers early on, who had been shocked by the obscenities that the dance partners were using towards each other.
According to Mr Pernice, Ms Abbington was quick to insist that all was fine between them and tell bosses that she “started it”.
He said: “Amanda was a laugh, we were making each other laugh. She would say very bad things like the c-word. She would use it.”
“She’s the person who would start the joke. She would tell a dark joke. That was the banter we had from the beginning, very rude banter,” he added.
Speaking about his request to have “chaperones and cameras” in the rehearsal room early on in the process, Mr Penice said the BBC “sent someone in with a camera and people to watch”.
Producers then notified Ms Abbington that they would be filming the duo’s training.
He told the Daily Mail: “I knew that I had to take some action…I didn’t know when [she] was going to stop.”
Ms Abbington alleged that she was bullied so badly by Mr Pernice that she was left with “post-traumatic stress disorder” after she dropped out of the show on medical grounds.
However, he has maintained his innocence throughout, previously stating: “I am looking forward to the conclusion of the investigation and ultimately clearing my name and establishing the truth.”
He admitted to sometimes becoming “frustrated” while training with her, but said that was because he cared about his craft.
Following the release of the BBC’s report, the dancer reveled he was often reduced to tears during the saga and that it left him feeling depressed.
“I rang my parents up crying,” he said. “They are the closest people to me. They were asked if their son was a bully.
“Everyone got upset, that made me upset. There were so many tears of frustration and sadness.
“I decided from day one to respect the process. Even my own parents asked: ‘How the hell did you do that?’.”
The months-long ordeal threatened his nine-year career as a Strictly professional dancer and meant that he could not take part in this year’s 20th anniversary series.
However, he praised the show’s judges and presenters for their continuous support.
“Anton [Du Beke] has been the best friend to me,” Mr Pernice said. “As you can imagine, at this time in my life, you find out who your real friends are.
“But all the judges and presenters stuck with me. All of them.”
He added: “Of course, I was worried it could destroy my career. The people that come to my shows are kids and women. I was painted as a person I am not. It seemed like the only point was to destroy me.”
Mr Pernice explained that one of the worst moments was watching Ms Abbington’s interview with Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy, who was also a member of the series’ celebrity cast last year.
When the interview aired, he said he “wanted to punch the television,” adding: “I didn’t watch it, I couldn’t watch the interview because I was thinking ‘why would you talk on live TV when we’ve both been asked not to talk about it?’
“My Sicilian blood would rise up and I’d think ‘this isn’t the truth’ – but I had to remain silent.”
The professional dancer said he is now ready to address the ordeal with the BBC, explaining he would “like to hear what they have to say to me”.
“I’m glad that they got the result that they did, but there’s a few points I want to talk to them about,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr Pernice is continuing to take part in the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing – Ballando con le Stelle – with his partner Bianca Guaccero, an actress and TV host.
He refused to rule out appearing on next year’s UK series, but said: “It’s too far away. At the moment I am just focused on Bianca.”
