What we know about BBC's Strictly verdict on Giovanni Pernice and Amanda Abbington probe
The BBC has apologised to former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Amanda Abbington after the Giovanni Pernice investigation but only part of her complaint has been upheld.
Pernice was at the centre of an internal BBC probe into "serious workplace misconduct" after Abbington quit Strictly early last year and later claimed she was being bullied by the pro dancer. The dancer — who first starred on the BBC show in 2015 and left nine years later — had always denied "any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour".
The BBC reported that Pernice was cleared of the most serious allegations, saying claims of physical aggression were not upheld. Complaints about verbal bullying and harassment were upheld, the BBC added.
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Abbington said the apology meant a "great deal" to her, while addressing the threats she has received since coming forward. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Pernice told the BBC that he was "pleased" that the review "has not found any evidence of threatening or abusive behaviour" by him. Having left Strictly, Pernice now has become a pro dancer on the Italian talent dance show Ballando con le Stelle.
What we know
BBC concludes Giovanni Pernice investigation
Concluding the investigation, the BBC said it had "upheld some, but not all" of her complaints about Giovanni Pernice’s behaviour during her time on the show.
The BBC said in a statement: "The BBC has now concluded its review into the complaints made by Amanda Abbington against Giovanni Pernice. We take any allegations of bullying and harassment very seriously and this review has taken time due to its complex nature and our desire to ensure a rigorous and robust process was undertaken.
"Strictly Come Dancing is a family show and we rightly expect very high standards. While competition can be tough, rigorous and demanding, we want the show to ultimately be a joyous and transformative experience. It is a great shame if this hasn’t been the case for everyone who has appeared on the show.
"We have assessed the complaints and we have upheld some, but not all, of the complaints made. We want to apologise to Amanda Abbington and to thank her for coming forward and taking part. We know this would not have been an easy thing to do."
For the 20th anniversary series, Strictly has had new measures put in place including chaperones in rehearsal rooms. The BBC added: "At the time, although the production team took steps to address the issues as they understood them, ultimately these were not enough. This is why the measures we have taken to further strengthen our existing protocols are so important.
"The BBC heard from a number of individuals in making its findings. We want to thank them for participating. The BBC has already taken extensive steps to enhance our duty of care for everyone on the show and a full note of these steps is published alongside this statement."
Giovanni Pernice speaks out on BBC findings
Pernice has broken his silence to say he was "relieved" after the BBC published their findings. Moving forward, the professional dancer continues to look forward to working on the Italian show Dancing With The Stars.
A representative for Pernice said in a statement: "We are pleased that this six month review has not found any evidence of threatening or abusive behaviour by Giovanni.
"Gio is relieved that the overwhelming majority of allegations put to the BBC have not been upheld and looks forward to continuing his work on Dancing With The Stars in Italy this season."
Read more: Giovanni Pernice breaks silence after Strictly investigation as BBC apologises to Amanda Abbington(OK! magazine, 4-min read)
Amanda Abbington breaks silence on BBC findings
Following the conclusion, Abbington has thanked the BBC for their apology and said it means a "great deal" to her. The actor addressed the rape, murder and bomb threats she has received as a result of speaking out and making a complaint.
Abbington's statement in full said: "As the BBC has indicated today in its statement, my decision to come forward and complain about Giovanni Pernice’s conduct towards me was not an easy thing to do.
"In the days, weeks and months since I contacted the BBC, I’ve been accused of being a liar, a troublemaker and of being ‘mad and unstable’. I’ve also received rape and murder threats and a bomb threat was sent to my place of work. My family and children have also been subjected to threats and intimidation.
"Despite this vile abuse, I’ve never regretted coming forward, and today’s apology from the BBC is a vindication of my complaint. It’s not just a vindication for me, it’s a vindication for the other people who have contacted me since I made my complaint to express concerns about their own experiences on Strictly Come Dancing. I hope those who have felt unable to speak out now will be more confident that they will be listened to and believed."
Abbington said she was pleased the BBC had put further measures in place when it come to Strictly and that she feels "lessons have been learned". She added: "The BBC has invited me to meet with senior management and this is something I will now be considering. This apology means a great deal to me. So too does the fact that the BBC have acknowledged the steps that were put in place to support and protect me and past contestants were ‘not enough’. What matters most now is that lessons have been learned and that the BBC makes the changes they’ve promised, to ensure others don’t experience the same ordeal that I and others like me did."
Read more:Amanda Abbington 'feels vindicated' after BBC apologise to her for her experience on Strictly(Bang showbiz, 3-min read)
What we don't know
Details of the complaint
Chief content officer for the BBC Charlotte Moore said she was unable to go into further detail about the complaints. Moore told the BBC: "There were a number of complaints under our bullying and harassment policy, and a number of those complaints have been upheld. Not all of them, but a number of them have been upheld."
MailOnline reported there were 17 allegations made against Pernice, of which six were upheld and some of those included swear words.
The BBC chief content officer said there were "good reasons" for the BBC not revealing more details from the investigation but noted that they wanted to be "open and transparent" about their findings.
She added: "I’m not able to go into further detail on that, and there are very good reasons for that. It’s probably worth me just laying out the confidentiality of a complaints process, which I think is absolutely integral to the complaints process, and confidentiality needs to be respected out of fairness to everybody involved.
"But of course, we’re also trying to balance that with the desire to be open and to be transparent about the way our complaints processes work – and obviously in this case, there’s been lots of media speculation and lots of interest. So I think it’s really important that we’re as open and transparent as we can be about that process, which is why we’ve issued the statement."
What will Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh do next?
Another thing we don't know is whether Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh will choose to speak out following the BBC's findings. In March earlier this year, it was claimed Abbington met with Pernice's other former partners Whitmore and Singh to discuss their Strictly experiences. At one point they were even rumoured to be planning legal action.
Out of the trio, Abbington was the only person who come forward to make an official complaint to the BBC. Whitmore later spoke out on social media to say she had been asked to speak with the BBC alongside six other people about "inappropriate behaviour they experienced similar to mine with the same individual".
Neither Whitmore or Singh made official complaints to the BBC.
