Amanda Abbington 'means business' as Strictly star takes action after BBC verdict

By Michelle Marshall, Senior Showbiz Reporter

Major update in BBC Strictly Come Dancing bullying probe and Amanda Abbington 'means business' (Image: BBC)

In a significant development in the ongoing BBC Strictly Come Dancing controversy, Amanda Abbington has reportedly scheduled a crucial meeting with BBC executives for today (Monday October 28) to address concerns regarding the investigation into the show.

The Sherlock star is poised to confront the corporation with pressing "unanswered questions" about the inquiry.

The actress, 50, who quit the dancing competition last year, did so as she made a series of allegations against professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice, 33.

A months-long investigation was launched into claims he bullied her on the show. The BBC's probe into the matter upheld a number of complaints against Giovanni - who has always denied "any claim of threatening or abusive behaviour" - while the broadcaster cleared him of the most serious allegations.

Sources have now claimed Amanda "demands answers" as the on-screen star is set to meet BBC bosses.

An insider told The Sun: "Amanda is going into a meeting with the BBC tomorrow and she means business. There are a lot of questions she wants answered before she takes her next steps."

They continued: "Amanda had a terrible time on Strictly and while she is grateful to the BBC for apologising to her, there is a lot of ground she wants to go over. She knows the meeting will be dredging up over a lot of old ground which she finds incredibly traumatic."

The source added: "But Amanda is determined to get the answers she needs."

Meanwhile, Giovanni, her former dance partner, maintains that he is a "strict teacher" but denies any accusations of bullying.

This follows the conclusion of a BBC probe into claims concerning his conduct during rehearsals last season.

Amanda has previously characterised Giovanni's behaviour as "inappropriate, it was mean, it was nasty, it was bullying".

Despite this, the BBC's internal investigation resulted in an apology to Amanda earlier this month, substantiating some of her complaints against him while absolving him of the gravest charges.

"Bully is a big word and there's a difference between being a bully and caring about what you do," Gio expressed to ITV's Lorraine earlier this month.

He conveyed to Christine Lampard, who was guest hosting for Lorraine: "I'm glad that the 11 allegations have been thrown out."

He continued, revealing the initial concern: "At the beginning there were very serious allegations, for instance threatening her or abusing her, and all of this has been taken out."