Amanda Abbington has doubled down on her criticism of her former Strictly Come Dancing partner Giovanni Pernice alleged “bad behaviour”.
The Sherlock actress, 51, left the BBC dance competition halfway through the 2023 series for “personal reasons” and last July she accused Pernice of “unnecessary, cruel and mean behaviour”.
The Italian dancer, 34, vehemently denied her claims and a BBC investigation ruled in September that her accusations of of physical aggression and threatening behaviour were not upheld.
However, allegations of verbal bullying and harassment were upheld, prompting the BBC to issue an apology to Abbington.
Now, the Mr Selfridge star has reiterated her claims about Pernice, saying on the White Wine Question Time podcast: “I wish nobody ill will. I just didn't like how I was treated, that was all it was. It was never a witch hunt, I never wanted to tear anybody down.
“I just felt I wasn't being treated fairly in that room and I'd been treated rather badly and just didn't want that to happen to somebody like my daughter or anybody else's daughter.”
The TV star went on: “I just wanted to highlight that sometimes bad behaviour manifests itself in very different ways and what is acceptable for one person isn't acceptable for another.”
She added that she was “traumatised” by the barrage of death threats - including comments targeting her children - that she received in the wake of the scandal.
“I was getting 20 death treats a day which is insane, which is just for somebody going, 'I don't like what's happening here, can we do something about it?’” Abbington said.
“With social media there's no rules and regulations where you can just write off a comment and affect somebody so deeply and traumatize somebody so deeply.
“Saying this about my children, you know, what are you talking about? I literally just said, 'this is bad behaviour.’ To be on the receiving end of the litany of abuse I got was, 'this is insane actually.’”
The Standard has contacted Pernice’s representative for comment.
Abbington participated in the 2023 season of Strictly Come Dancing with Pernice, an eight-year member of the show's professional dancers.
However, she withdrew after five weeks for “personal reasons” and eventually left the show.
In July 2024, she told the Sun in a statement that Pernice’s alleged behaviour was "unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean" during their time on Strictly Come Dancing.
Her statement read: “I couldn't sit back and let him do that to other people. I had to think long and hard about making a complaint because I knew the backlash I would get. But I would not have been able to live with myself for future people going on that show.
“I know what happened in that room, it's on video and I have no problem with anyone seeing that. It's a duty of care that is needed. Rehearsal rooms should be a safe space, there is a duty of care and kindness, and that courtesy wasn't extended to me on this job. I was being as amenable as possible and it wasn’t being reciprocated, that's all.”
In the days that followed, Abbington gave further statements to Channel 4.
Pernice immediately rejected any claims of "abusive and threatening behaviour" in a statement posted to his Instagram.
In the statement, Pernice wrote: “To my dear fans, you will be as surprised as I am that allegations have been made about my dance teaching methods in the media this week.
“Of course, I reject any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour, and I look forward to clearing my name.”
The BBC's director general, Tim Davie, said he was “very sorry” and the corporation began an investigation into the allegations.
The BBC did not find any evidence of physical violence in its review, but accusations of verbal abuse and harassment were upheld.
Major adjustments have been made to Strictly Come Dancing's procedures since the BBC review.
Celebrities and professional dancers now have chaperones throughout the show's rehearsals and the BBC has revised its duty of care procedures.
After missing the Strictly professional lineup in 2024, Pernice joined Ballando Con Le Stelle, the Italian version of the show, which he won with singer and actress Bianca Guaccero.
