BBC apologises to Abbington but her claims only partly upheld
· BBC NewsNoor Nanji
Culture reporter
@NoorNanji
The BBC has apologised to Amanda Abbington and upheld some of her complaints against her 2023 Strictly dance partner Giovanni Pernice, but cleared him of the most serious allegations.
BBC News has been told that while complaints of verbal bullying and harassment were upheld, claims of physical aggression were not.
The Sherlock actress called the BBC's apology a "vindication" of her complaint and said she hoped others would now feel "more confident" that they would be believed.
Pernice said he was relieved that allegations that he was threatening and abusive "were found not to be true".
In its statement on Monday, the BBC said that the production team did take steps to address the issues at the time but acknowledged that "ultimately, these were not enough".
"This is why the measures we have taken to further strengthen our existing protocols are so important," it said.
Abbington had previously accused Pernice of being "unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean" during their rehearsals, which he had always strongly denied.
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The BBC said it takes allegations of bullying and harassment "very seriously", adding the review into Abbington's complaints had taken time "due to its complex nature" and in order to ensure "a rigorous and robust process".
"We have assessed the complaints and we have upheld some, but not all, of the complaints made," it said.
"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."
In recent media interviews, Abbington said she first raised concerns about Pernice's behaviour with Strictly producers on her third day, and had "many" more discussions with programme bosses.
She eventually dropped out in week six, expressing her "deepest regret" at having to leave the show for "medical" and "personal reasons". She later lodged a formal complaint about Pernice.
The actress has since claimed the BBC had known about his behaviour for years. She has also said she and her family had received death threats after she spoke out.
Charlotte Moore, chief content officer for the BBC, told BBC News that it was "terrible" Abbington had been subjected to online abuse, and personally apologised to Abbington twice.
BBC News has been told the review looked into 17 complaints and six were upheld but we have been unable to independently verify this.
The statement itself did not go into detail about the nature of the complaints. But a source told BBC News that those upheld related to verbal bullying and harassment. The most serious allegations of physical aggression were not upheld.
When asked by BBC News for more information about the complaints, Moore said: “I'm not able to go into further detail on that, and there are very good reasons for that.
"It's probably worth me just laying out the confidentiality of a complaints process, which I think is absolutely integral to the complaints process, and confidentiality needs to be respected out of fairness to everybody involved.”
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Responding to the BBC's statement, Abbington said that coming forward "was not an easy thing to do".
"In the days, weeks and months since I contacted the BBC, I’ve been accused of being a liar, a troublemaker and of being 'mad and unstable'.
"I’ve also received rape and murder threats and a bomb threat was sent to my place of work. My family and children have also been subjected to threats and intimidation.
"Despite this vile abuse, I’ve never regretted coming forward, and today’s apology from the BBC is a vindication of my complaint.
"It’s not just a vindication for me, it’s a vindication for the other people who have contacted me since I made my complaint to express concerns about their own experiences on Strictly Come Dancing. I hope those who have felt unable to speak out now will be more confident that they will be listened to and believed."
Abbington added that the BBC had invited her to meet with senior management and that she would be considering this.
"This apology means a great deal to me. So too does the fact that the BBC have acknowledged the steps that were put in place to support and protect me and past contestants were “not enough”.
"What matters most now is that lessons have been learned and that the BBC makes the changes they’ve promised, to ensure others don’t experience the same ordeal that I and others like me did."
In a statement, Pernice said: ‘I’m glad the review has finally come to an end. I'm relieved that the allegations that I was threatening and abusive were found not to be true.
"The majority of the false allegations have been thrown out by the review. It has been an extremely difficult year, reading story after story and not being able to say anything in return as I respected the integrity of the review, which the BBC asked everyone to do."
He added that he loved his time on Strictly and made "amazing memories".
"I’m grateful to all those who have supported me at this time – I really don’t know how I would have got through this with out the love and belief of my family, friends, colleagues and fans."
The BBC announced a string of new measures in July, include introducing chaperones in all rehearsal rooms, as well as including two new welfare producers on the show.
Earlier this year, the BBC confirmed that Pernice would not return to the Strictly professional line-up for the new series.
The new series of Strictly Come Dancing launched on BBC One earlier this month.
Pernice has now joined his native Italy's talent dance show, Ballando con le Stelle.