Amanda Abbington has spoken out over claims Giovanni Pernice makes about her in his new memoir. She says her former Strictly Come Dancing partner has “grossly” mischaracterised what happened between them.
Her response follows Giovanni’s claim that the fallout left him feeling suicidal. The dancer discusses the row surrounding their 2023 Strictly partnership in his book, Gio: Taking the Lead.
According to The Sun on Sunday, Giovanni also alleges in the memoir that Amanda performed a Nazi salute in front of him. Amanda has now rejected his wider account and made clear that she does not plan to continue engaging in the dispute.
Amanda Abbington responds to Giovanni Pernice’s memoir
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, Amanda said: “It’s sad, though not surprising, that Giovanni is continuing down this route. He took part in the BBC investigation that made findings against him, following which the channel apologised and paid me compensation.”
The actress then accused Giovanni of “grossly mischaracterising what happened to suit his own narrative”. She concluded: “My focus is on moving forward.”
The newspaper also quoted an unnamed friend of Amanda, who claimed: “Amanda will forever regard Giovanni as a monster. She stands by her allegations — she’s not the only one who was a victim of his behaviour.”
Giovanni’s comments come after the BBC paid Amanda a five-figure out-of-court settlement following her legal complaint over alleged mistreatment. Amanda also said in her statement that the broadcaster apologised to her.
The BBC investigation into Giovanni and Amanda’s Strictly rehearsals upheld some of her complaints. The inquiry found that Giovanni’s language and tone had been “belittling, dismissive and insulting”.
The BBC also upheld a complaint that he showed or gestured towards his groin. However, it made no finding about alleged accompanying comments detailed by Amanda.
What has Giovanni Pernice claimed about Amanda?
In his memoir, Giovanni questions whether Strictly should carry out psychological assessments of its celebrity contestants. He writes that not doing so puts both celebrities and professional dancers at risk.
Referring to Amanda having previously discussed her mental health, he asks why processes were not in place to check whether she could “still be fragile”. He then adds: “I think the Corporation failed us.”
An unnamed friend of Amanda dismissed that argument in comments to The Sun on Sunday. The friend claimed it was “laughable” for Giovanni to question her mental health because she had challenged his alleged behaviour.
Giovanni also writes about the impact the controversy had on him. He says his mental state deteriorated and claims he felt abandoned by people he considered part of his Strictly “family”.
Giovanni recalled questioning whether he should continue living. He wrote: “Is it worth it? I asked myself. What would happen if I wasn’t here any more? Who would care? Tomorrow, I pledged, I would end it all. My life was over, and the emotional pain was becoming unbearable.”
He further alleges that some members of the programme’s team were happy to see him leave in 2024. Giovanni claims the complaint became a convenient way to remove him.
ED! has contacted Giovanni’s representatives for comment.
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