Giovanni Pernice reveals Strictly celebrity alerted him to Amanda scandal with worrying words

Giovanni Pernice’s nine-year career on Strictly Come Dancing came to an end earlier this year, when Amanda Abbington made a series of damning accusations about his behaviour

Giovanni Pernice revealed it was an innocent remark made by a celebrity taking part on last year’s Strictly Come Dancing that sparked the scandal that almost ended his career.

The Italian dancer, 34, was at the centre of the controversy after Amanda Abbington made a series of damning accusations about his behaviour, which sparked an investigation by the BBC into the Sherlock star’s claims. Amanda alleged Giovanni was abusive during rehearsals, had stamped on her foot and had treated her so badly that she was left with post-traumatic disorder, and left the competition early citing health reasons.

Giovanni was unable to speak out on the allegations due to being employed by the BBC, so had to wait until the £250,000 investigation had concluded, which it did last month. Six of Amanda’s 17 complaints were upheld, and the actress claimed that her legal team were looking into the report’s findings. One of the complaints that was upheld was an incident that involved Giovanni getting frustrated with Amanda during rehearsals, and telling her: “You have such talent and you're not using it.”

The former Strictly star, who missed out on taking part in the show’s 20th anniversary this year due to the investigation, has now spoken out about the allegations he faced, and revealed the moment that the scandal began. Recalling a conversation with an unnamed celebrity after the first week of rehearsals, Giovanni said he immediately knew something was wrong.

He had been told Amanda had been sending messages into the celebrities’ WhatsApp group saying she was unhappy with their training, leaving him shellshocked. “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,” Giovanni explained.

He said he was terrified Amanda would make untrue allegations against him, so began to film their rehearsals without telling her. “That was the first time I knew that I had to take some action – so I asked for chaperones and cameras in the room,” he admitted. Giovanni was concerned about Amanda’s behaviour, especially as she had been sending him positive messages praising their training after the intense sessions.

“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,” he claimed. Giovanni said the saga left him depressed, as he feared his dancing career, which began when he was just 14 years old, was over. “There were so many tears of frustration and sadness,” he sadly shared.

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