Giovanni Pernice breaks silence and says he is 'pleased' after BBC Strictly Come Dancing probe

Amanda Abbington had complained about her former dance partner

Former BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Giovanni Pernice has broken his silence after the results of an investigation into his conduct was published. Today (Monday, September 30), it was revealed that he did not 'behave inappropriately' with his dance partners.

Bosses at the broadcaster ruled that the Italian dancer was not abusive, threatening or intimidating, though claims of verbal bullying were upheld. They also confirmed there was no aggressive or physical conduct.

The BBC apologised to Amanda Abbington - who raised the allegations against the dancer - saying it had assessed and upheld 'some, but not all, of the complaints made'. A spokesman for Giovanni said the dancer was 'pleased' that the review into the complaints by Amanda had 'not found any evidence of threatening or abusive behaviour'.

READ MORE: Amanda Abbington breaks silence on BBC's Giovanni Pernice Strictly report and says it was 'not easy'

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The long-running dance contest has faced months of controversy over claims about events behind the scenes, Mirror reports. Fans have been awaiting news on the outcome of the internal investigation for weeks.

Actress Amanda complained about her former dance partner Giovanni, 34. They were partnered together on last year's series.

She made allegations of 'bullying' and 'aggressive behaviour', which Giovanni denied. The 50-year-old also questioned his teaching methods and described his behaviour as 'unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean'.

In one interview, she compared the BBC show to 'the trenches' as she told Channel 4 News producers had been left 'horrified' by clips which she said proved her allegations of 'humiliating behaviour of a sexual nature'. She remained on the show for several weeks before puling out.

Giovanni previously said he had 'always rejected any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour'. He said in July: I am cooperating fully with the ongoing BBC investigation, which will determine the truth.

"As requested, I have stayed silent, but I am looking forward to the conclusion of the investigation and ultimately clearing my name and establishing the truth." Giovanni has moved on from Strictly and joined the Italian version called Ballando con le Stelle with dance partner and actress Bianca Guaccero.

Amanda also spoke out, saying her decision to come forward was 'not an easy thing to do'.