Strictly Come Dancing 2023 ended with a lot of controversy that is still ongoing, specifically surrounding Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice, who were paired together. Abbington unexpectedly quit the show and at the time said it was for medical reasons. Turns out, she had been diagnosed with mild PTSD following tense dance rehearsals.
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She accused her partner, Giovanni Pernice, of being 'nasty' to her and others on the show.
She's not the only one who feels this way, as reports allege that Abbington has met with Good Morning Britain host Ranvir Singh and former Love Island host Laura Whitmore, who had similar experiences.
Pernice dropped from Strictly Come Dancing 2024
The accusations have led to a formal investigation by BBC into the pro dancer's behaviour. In addition to that, earlier this month (June) it was revealed that Pernice would not be in the upcoming season of Strictly.
The Italian dancer himself has staunchly denied all the accusations. He said:
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.
He still remains active in his career, currently touring with Strictly judge Anton Du Beke for their show Together. Moreover, there are rumours that he may have received an exciting offer to join the Italian version of the show as a judge.
While we wait for the findings of the investigation, let's look into what exactly happened between the Strictly pair.
Reason behind Amanda Abbington’s feud with Giovanni Pernice
Amanda Abbington quit Strictly Come Dancing after four weeks of being on the show. While she did not immediately reveal the reason why, there were already rumours circulating that she was unhappy with Pernice's 'militant' style of training. In fact, there were whispers that she was threatening to quit around the end of September 2023.
To that, Brendan Brendan Cole - who starred on Strictly for 15 series - spoke out. He said:
Let’s say Giovanni Pernice did a bit of choreography that she [Amanda Abbington] didn't like. She's quite a good dancer, I think she knows what she's doing.
If that is the case, that they are having a bit of a clash, and Giovanni is quite a full-on character, in terms of personalities within the show.
I don't think it's wrong for me to say, he thinks a lot of himself, if I could be so bold.
Brendan further explained that not getting well along with your partner is the ‘hardest’ part of Strictly.
Amanda Abbington finally speaks out
Abbington chose to stay silent on her exit for months. It was not until early 2024 that she publicly announced that she had been diagnosed with mild PTSD because of her experience on the show. She did not explicitly state that Pernice was behind it, instead leaving cryptic messages here and there, but sources were quick to jump on the wagon. Some claimed that she was going to take legal action against him.
Finally in June 2024, Abbington spoke exclusively to Katie Hind from Daily Mail and told her she wanted their practice sessions to be captured on camera, adding, as quoted by Deadline:
Giovanni is nasty. He was awful to a few of us. A group of us.
I went to producers early on and told them about Giovanni.
The Sherlock actress added that the whole ordeal has been 'awful' for her to deal with as she's started receiving a lot of backlash from Giovanni's fans. She said:
Giovanni’s fans have started trolling me now. I have had to come off social media and I’m getting death threats.
It's not just backlash. She's said that she's started receiving death threats and it's forced her to call in the police for protection. The Sun quoted a source who said:
Amanda has been left petrified and feeling very vulnerable in public.
She has been worried about leaving the house to do simple errands like walking the dog or picking up groceries.
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Source Used
The Sun: Strictly’s Giovanni Pernice is full of himself – it’s no surprise he’s clashing with Amanda Abbington, says pro dancer
The Sun: Amanda Abbington brands Giovanni Pernice ‘nasty’ and claims he was ‘awful’ as she speaks out on bitter Strictly feud
Daily Mail: It's Strictly war! Amanda Abbington brands Giovanni 'nasty' and reveals to KATIE HIND that SHE demanded rehearsals were recorded because of his 'awful' behaviour - but his friends hit back and say: 'She wants to finish him off'!
Express: Giovanni Pernice in huge career move as Strictly scandal could see him 'leave UK'
Mirror: Full timeline of Giovanni Pernice fallout - first Amanda row to 'quitting' and BBC probe
Deadline: ‘Sherlock’ Star Amanda Abbington Says Her ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ Partner Giovanni Pernice Was “Nasty” In Latest Flash Point Over BBC Show
The Sun: Strictly’s Amanda Abbington calls in cops after being bombarded with death threats from troll fans of Giovanni Pernice
