Strictly Come Dancing’s Giovanni Pernice has hit back at Amanda Abbington’s claims that he abused her during rehearsals, saying there is “no evidence to support them”.
The professional dancer, who left the show over Abbington’s allegations, said he had never threatened or abused the actress.
In a new round of media interviews, Abbington claimed that she had suffered “humiliating behaviour of a sexual nature”, although she clarified that she was not claiming to have been a victim of sexual harassment.
She told Channel 4 that there are 50 hours of rehearsal room footage, showing the toxic atmosphere, which is “being blocked” during the BBC’s investigation into what happened.
She told ITV’s Lorraine programme that she texted a Strictly producer in her first week of rehearsals, saying: “This is awful. He hates me.”
In a statement issued to ITV, Pernice’s lawyers said: “We would urge people to wait for the review’s conclusion and not to pay heed to very serious and defamatory allegations that have no evidence in support of them.
“Giovanni refutes any claim of threatening or abusive behaviour, and having provided the BBC with his evidence, is confident that the review will prove this.”
The lawyers said Pernice was “cooperating fully” with the BBC’s review process and noted that “all parties have been asked to respect this process and to not speak to the media before it concludes”.
They added: “As part of the evidence-led review, the BBC has shared the allegations it has been able to substantiate with us. They do not resemble Amanda’s latest allegations, given to ITV, in any shape or form.”
Appearing on Lorraine to discuss her Strictly experience, Abbington claimed: “It was inappropriate; it was mean, it was nasty, it was bullying. I put up with it for five weeks, six weeks. It started early on and when it started to happen, I would shut down because I would recognise those red flags.”
The actress also spoke of the “relentless” onslaught of abuse she received on social media after making claims about Pernice, and said she rarely goes out as a result.
Rape threats were made towards her daughter, death threats towards her son, and fans of Pernice told her they hoped she would die of cancer, Abbington said.
Abbington said she hoped that Strictly would go on as “a beautiful British institution”, but said she deserved an apology from the BBC.
“I’d like an apology and I’d like this not to happen to people working in that corporation again. I’d like women to be listened to and heard and taken seriously.”
The BBC said in a statement: “Anyone involved in a complaint has a right to confidentiality and fair process and therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further on individuals.
“However, when issues are raised with us we always take them extremely seriously and have appropriate processes in place to manage this.”
Katya Virshilas, a former professional dancer, told Sky News she believed bosses on the show sometimes prioritised dancers’ looks over their teaching ability.
Virshilas, who appeared in three seasons of the show between 2009 and 2011, claimed producers “know everything” as you are “living under a glass house” and said her time on Strictly was “one of the hardest and toughest times of my life”.
She questioned whether bosses pick “a young, talented dancer for their looks and how they do tricks, and not so much caring about [if they are] actually able to teach?”
She added that while Strictly is a rewarding experience that had “done so much” for dancing, she had “experienced bullying from other pros towards other pros”.
“We are dancers. We’re in that environment … dancers can be brutal towards each other, but I guess we’re used to it,” she told the broadcaster.
