Giovanni Pernice plans Strictly Come Dancing return despite Amanda Abbington's bullying claims

Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice is reportedly still holding out hope he will return to the BBC show next year, despite Amanda Abbington's claims

Giovanni Pernice is reportedly keen on making a comeback to Strictly Come Dancing next series despite the outcome of a recent BBC report, according to insiders.

The much-anticipated BBC inquiry exonerated the former contestant from allegations of violence but apologised to Amanda Abbington after confirming several of her bullying accusations. Following the apology, Amanda is purportedly planning legal action regarding her treatment.

Nonetheless, those close to the professional dancer assert he still has aspirations to rejoin the popular show next year, despite his commitment to Italy's version of the programme. At 34, Giovanni confided to his circle that his contract with Ballando Con Le Stelle spans just one season, believing he has "unfinished business" with the UK series.

A source revealed: "Giovanni has not given up on appearing on the Strictly stage. As far as he is concerned, he has been cleared and there is no reason why he couldn't return. He has told his pals he is hoping to be back next year and is keen to speak to the BBC about it. He still feels very much part of the fold, and has a massive fan base who would no doubt welcome him back. But of course the final decision will be made by BBC bosses."

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Giovanni declined to comment, reports the Mirror.

In an explosive interview with Newsnight on Wednesday evening, Amanda disclosed that she harbours "no regrets" for making complaints against Giovanni, despite being the target of "hundreds" of threats, both death and rape. Sharing her harrowing experience on the renowned BBC programme, she said: "It's been one of the worst years of my life," adding insight into the sheer volume of abuse she faced, "I've been through a lot, women go through a lot, but it has been a very unpleasant, turbulent, relentless time in my life. I've had to deal with a myriad of horrible things."

The actress described the alarming escalation of threats over the past eight months, citing the police probe sparked in August when Amanda, performing at the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park, was the recipient of an alleged death threat. The Metropolitan Police were summoned following the incident.

Detailing the gravity of the situation to Victoria Derbyshire, the host of the show, Amanda recounted: "I had a credible death threat sent to my place of work, a theatre that I was working at, which was credible and the police had to be called," and further revealed the extent of the harassment, "I had a bomb threat sent to my place of work, threatening to blow the building up because I was pursuing this.I've had death threats sent to me, my family."

The severity of the situation was underscored as Amanda related the distress caused to her family, "I've had rape threats sent to my 15-year-old daughter, saying 'I'm just laughing at the moment thinking about you having to watch your daughter get raped for what you've done to Giovanni Pernice' They were every day I'd be getting those and I have screenshots that have been handed over to the Met Police."

Amanda has disclosed that she is currently seeking daily legal advice in the wake of the Strictly Come Dancing bullying investigation. In her first public comments since the conclusion of the investigation, Amanda hinted at possible legal action.

Speaking about her current position, Amanda informed Newsnight presenter Victoria that she's "taking guidance from my lawyer on a day to day basis". Amanda highlighted the complexity of the situation by stating: "There's a 30-page report that me and my lawyers are still digesting. There are still things in there that are unresolved."

A representative for Giovanni responded: "It's disappointing that Ms Abbington would knowingly mislead the outcome of the report in order to further attempt to damage Giovanni's reputation. While Ms Abbington may not like the outcome of the six-month investigation, she should not seek to spread 'false' and defamatory claims."

Giovanni has refuted the allegations levelled against him.

Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer