It is the scandal that has threatened to bring an end to the BBC’s Saturday night favourite, Strictly Come Dancing.
But with the BBC’s verdict on whether Giovanni Pernice bullied his former partner Amanda Abbington from the show set to be revealed tomorrow, the dance professional is adamant he has provided evidence proving he is far from the “cruel, abusive and mean” man the Sherlock actress claims he is.
Today, The Mail on Sunday can reveal exactly what it is – and shockingly, it comes from Ms Abbington’s mouth, not his.
Amanda Abbingdon described herself as a “nightmare” as she and Giovanni Pernice danced from August to October last year.
Sources close to the situation say Mr Pernice now hopes to be cleared of bullying Ms Abbingdon (pictured) following the three-month investigation.
Mr Pernice, 33, gave BBC investigators a 28-minute audio recording of him and Ms Abbington in a conversation his team believes shows he was far from intimidating her but extremely supportive.
We can also reveal that the Italian also handed over to the inquiry a dossier of screenshots of WhatsApp messages between himself and Ms Abbington, 50, where she gushed about how helpful he had been, how much she liked him and also apologised to him.
During the clip, she tells Mr Pernice that if she were him “I would have already thrown myself out the window”, in an apparent acknowledgement that it could be difficult.
He also addressed how she “self-sabotages” and repeatedly mentioned how he was a support to her as she struggled with the show.
She also referred to herself as a “nightmare” while dancing from August to October last year, when she left the series after six weeks, citing medical reasons.
According to sources close to the situation, Pernice now expects to be cleared of harassment charges following a three-month investigation, with the BBC communicating its findings to both parties on Monday. The corporation is also expected to issue a “nondescript” statement.
The investigation has been frustrating for the BBC, particularly as Ms Abbington has spoken out several times over the past week before the inquiry was concluded.
Last week, in an interview with Channel 4 News, she said an incident of a “humiliating sexual nature” had taken place. She also said she had received dozens of death and rape threats every day after reporting to the BBC that Pernice had been harassing her.
This newspaper can reveal that Mr Pernice’s former dance partners were invited by the BBC to explain their own experiences of working with him.
Meanwhile, members of the Strictly crew were also interviewed. It is believed none of them claimed to have witnessed or experienced any bad behaviour from Mr Pernice, 33.
In an interview with Channel 4 News last week, Abbington tearfully said an incident of a “humiliating sexual nature” had occurred.
Mr Pernice, 33 (pictured with Ms Abbington at rehearsals) gave BBC investigators a 28-minute audio recording of the pair in a conversation his team believe shows he was, far from intimidating her, hugely supportive.
The scandal broke at the end of the year after Abbington told The Sun that she had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of her time on Strictly. She also reportedly asked to see footage of rehearsals so she could give it to her lawyers.
The BBC rejected her request and in April launched a formal investigation into her claims that Pernice had harassed her during training sessions. Last week, she claimed that an incident of a “humiliating sexual nature” had occurred during an interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy, a Channel 4 News presenter who also appeared on the same series of Strictly.
Pernice’s spokesman said he was not made aware of the sexual allegations until Channel 4 contacted his lawyers for Schillings to offer him a right of reply just hours before the interview aired on Wednesday. He vehemently denies the allegations.
Abbington, 52, had previously claimed Pernice had stamped on her foot, causing a bruise to her toe. She has not given further details.
Last Sunday, she told The Sun: “I found Giovanni’s behaviour to be unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean. I couldn’t stand by and let him do that to other people.” Again, she did not offer details.
Meanwhile, the fallout at the BBC is said to be “serious”. Bosses are already being investigated over the three-month investigation, during which significant damage has been done to Strictly, often referred to as the jewel in the corporation’s crown.
But insiders hit back saying the investigation dragged on so long that Strictly staff were able to find out that professional dancer Graziano Di Prima punched and kicked his former partner Zara McDermott. Investigators fired him within 48 hours, citing misconduct.
Although the outcome of the Pernice investigation is due tomorrow, BBC sources say there could be more to come.
During her interview with Mr Guru-Murthy, Ms Abbington said she wanted compensation for her loss of income following her appearance on the show and the harassment allegations.
But they also face possible action from Mr Pernice, who is unhappy that he has been paired with Ms Abbington without any psychological testing.
Yesterday, a spokesman for Abbington said: “These details change nothing: as Amanda has repeatedly made clear, she did everything she could to make things work. This included being frank with Giovanni about her own shortcomings as a dancer and her awareness that this must have been difficult for him. For these comments to now be put forward as some sort of excuse for the bullying Amanda suffered is as unacceptable as the behaviour itself.”
