Amanda Abbington has branded Giovanni Pernice "delusional" after he said their relationship was "perfect".
The Sherlock actress, 50, brought Strictly Come Dancing into the spotlight itself after she lodged complaints against the Italian stallion. The allegations were made after Amanda walked from the BBC competition after just six weeks.
Among the many claims Amanda made were allegations of bullying, harassment and abuse at the hands of Gio, 34. The resulting probe caused Giovanni to leave the show behind, as well as the ultimate dismissal of fellow Italian pro Graziano di Prima - after similar behaviour was discovered between him and partner Zara McDermott.
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After months of interviews and investigations, the BBC's findings cleared 11 of the 17 complaints made by Amanda. In its report, the broadcaster said Gio had not been physically abusive towards Amanda, but apologised in part to her for some of the verbal abuse that she endured.
Appearing on British television for the first time since the report vindicated him, Giovanni appeared on Lorraine Kelly's ITV show on Tuesday (October 22). In the chat with Christine Lampard, Giovanni described his former partner as a "brilliant" dancer, and that he would like to iron out their problems over a cup of tea.
But speaking to The Sun shortly after the interview, a spokesperson for the actress shot down his comments. "Mr Pernice’s claim that 'everything in the rehearsal room worked perfectly' is false and delusional, and underlines the toxic culture Ms Abbington endured on Strictly Come Dancing," they said.
"The BBC’s own investigation concluded that Mr Pernice was in breach of multiple BBC Policies, including repeated breaches of the Anti-Bullying and Harassment Policy," her team added. "Mr Pernice was spoken to by the BBC on several occasions about his misconduct - but his behaviour only continued."
Amanda's team went on to say that she never saw his comments as "banter", as it would only highlight her being gaslit. The statement ended: "Ms Abbington remains concerned about the way the inquiry into her complaint was handled by the BBC, and the leaking of the investigation Report to the press, and will be meeting with the Corporation in due course to raise these in more detail."
During his interview with Christine, Giovanni said that he would not be changing his methods to teach his dancers, though he admitted he was a strict partner. It comes as he continues to dazzle on the Italian version of Strictly with celebrity Bianca Guaccero.
Bianca and Giovanni have been leading the scoreboard in Italy, with Gio keeping British audiences up to date on his social media. Should he win with his Italian partner, this would be his second overall victory, after winning the Glitterball trophy in 2021 with Rose Ayling-Ellis.
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