Giovanni Pernice has revealed the final conversation between himself and Amanda Abbington.
During their time on Strictly Come Dancing, actress Amanda and professional dancer Giovanni appeared to have the perfect friendship. But this facade crumbled during week six of the BBC dance programme when Amanda made the decision to quit. The Sherlock star has recently stated she made the decision to walk away after discovering lumps in her breast.
Amanda explained that she was "relieved" she had found a way to walk away from Strictly after allegedly clashing with Giovanni. Now, the Italian star, 34, has shared what he claims is the final conversation he had with Amanda before she lodged a complaint to the BBC about his alleged behaviour.
She claimed that she had been diagnosed with PTSD after being "bullied" by the star. The long-awaited BBC report from the investigation cleared the former dancer of the show of violence but issued an apology to Amanda after upholding a series of her bullying claims.
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Dave Benett/Getty Images)Speaking in a new interview, Giovanni said he was "gutted" when he received a call from BBC staff informing him that Amanda had quit. Prior to the call, Amanda had opened up to Giovanni during rehearsals, explaining that she had found two lumps in her breasts, just months after being given the all clear from a mammogram.
"Amanda told me that she couldn't concentrate because while she was having a shower she had found two lumps," he told the Daily Mail. He went on to add that he said to Amanda he was hoping it was "nothing serious" and even offered to get his own doctor involved to have a scan "right away."
"So the last message between us was me saying to her: 'Can I help you? Please let me help you, forget about the dance, forget about the show, this is more important than anything,'" he told the outlet. Giovanni added: "This was the last time I heard from Amanda." After the results of the investigation were released, she hinted at potential legal moves during a chat on Newsnight with Victoria Derbyshire. Revealing her ongoing consultation, Amanda said she was "taking guidance from my lawyer on a day-to-day basis", as per her comments to Victoria regarding how she would be moving forward post-investigation.
She detailed: "There's a 30-page report that me and my lawyers are still digesting. There are still things in there that are unresolved." The actress emotionally opened up about her experience during last year's 'Strictly', admitting that she lost "all sense of reality" while preparing for performances with her dance partner, she reflected: "It has been one of the worst years of my life. I have been through a lot. Women go through a lot." She sadly revealed the aftermath of her complaints, sharing: "I have had to deal with a myriad of horrible things that have continued to happen just for complaining."
A spokeswoman for Giovanni said: "The BBC concluded its review almost a week ago. It is deeply concerning that Ms Abbington appears hellbent on continuously misrepresenting the review's findings in TV and newspaper interviews. Giovanni is focusing on his job on Ballando con le Stella and supporting his partner, Bianca. He hopes that Ms Abbington can soon accept the review’s findings and look to the future."
He has always denied the allegations made against him.
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