Giovanni Pernice has said the public fallout from his Strictly Come Dancing partnership with Amanda Abbington left him experiencing suicidal thoughts.
The dancer makes the disclosure in his memoir, Gio My Story. His account comes after Amanda reportedly received a five-figure out-of-court settlement from BBC Studios. The company also reportedly contributed towards her legal costs.
Amanda partnered Giovanni during the 2023 series of Strictly. She left in week five, citing personal and medical reasons. The BBC later investigated allegations of bullying and harassment concerning her former professional partner.
Giovanni Pernice describes suicidal thoughts in memoir following Amanda Abbington row
In an extract serialised by the Daily Mail, Giovanni described reading negative stories while alone at his London home.
He wrote: “Hunched on the sofa of my London flat, I scrolled through my phone as story after story brought bad news, plunging me deeper into depression.”
Giovanni then 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?”
The dancer added: “Tomorrow, I pledged, I would end it all. My life was over, and the emotional pain was becoming unbearable.”
Elsewhere in the book, Giovanni gives his account of working with Amanda. He characterises some of their exchanges as banter, while acknowledging that they used bad language and insults during rehearsals.
What did the BBC investigation find?
The BBC investigation into the Strictly allegations examined 16 complaints concerning Giovanni. It upheld six and did not uphold the remaining 10.
The BBC report found that some of Giovanni’s language and his tone towards Amanda were “belittling, dismissive and insulting”. It described that conduct as disproportionate and unmerited.
Giovanni accepted that he used the words “vegetable” and “lazy” during training. However, he said those remarks concerned Amanda’s body posture. The BBC did not uphold that element as bullying.
At the end of its review, the corporation stressed that Strictly Come Dancing expected high standards despite the demands of the competition.
A BBC spokesperson said at the time: “We have assessed the complaints, and we have upheld some, but not all.”
The statement continued: “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.”
Giovanni defends his demanding Strictly training style
Giovanni also uses his memoir to explain his approach in the rehearsal room. He links his demanding style to his Sicilian background and his desire to achieve strong results.
He wrote: “Some celebrities think they can rehearse for only three or four hours a day. But that achieves nothing. I’m Sicilian. I push as much as I can.”
Giovanni won Strictly Come Dancing in 2021 with Rose Ayling-Ellis. He left the BBC dance programme three years later, following the controversy and investigation.
ED! has contacted the BBC for comment.
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