Actress Amanda Abbington's courage to speak out about her "trauma" on Strictly Come Dancing may encourage other celebrities to come forward, it has been claimed.
The former Strictly contestant has held the BBC to account after raising allegations of "threatening and abusive behaviour" whilst training with professional dancer Giovanni Pernice.
A statement via a spokesperson for Pernice said he is "cooperating fully with the BBC’s review process", but denies all allegations.
In a new sit down interview with Channel 4, Abbington emotionally opened up about the death threats she has received from fans of the professional dancer since leaving the show, and shared details of the behaviour she claims she was subject to in the training rooms.
Amanda Abbington has been defended after speaking out about her time on Strictly
Channel 4 / PA
Speaking to Channel 4 News, Abbington described the treatment she received from Pernice as "inappropriate, mean, nasty" and "bullying".
The actor also demanded an apology from the broadcaster after claiming that "no one from the show" had reached out to her following her exit. She said: "I'd like an apology. I'd like this not to happen to people working in that corporation again."
Discussing the latest development of the Strictly scandal, showbiz reporter Stephanie Takyi said "more people are going to feel confident to come forward" after the bravery displayed by Abbington, as well as TV star Zara McDermott.
Takyi told GB News: "I knew that this would happen, because once you make these kind of allegations, it's strength in numbers. More people are going to feel more confident and more comfortable to open about their experience on Strictly."
Amanda Abbington made fresh bombshell claims in a new interview with Channel 4
Channel 4
Detailing more of Abbington's claims, Takyi said the BBC are now holding "50 hours worth of footage from the training room" in the investigation involving Pernice.
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Takyi explained: "We know that she has officially made a complaint to the BBC about allegations of mistreatment and physical and verbal abuse from Giovanni.
"She has made claims which are quite shocking, including that the BBC are holding on to 50 hours worth of footage from the training room, which she says backs up her claims and allegations."
Echoing Abbington's desire for mistreatment at the BBC to end, Takyi stressed that the actor "doesn't want to show to end" despite her "traumatic" experience.
Takyi said: "She talked about the trauma she's been left with from Strictly, but said she does love the show. But the reason why she's done this is to say that actually, celebrity dancers who go on the show should not be mistreated in this way, and they should have a room to speak about any concerns they have."
Stephanie Takyi said celebrity dancers 'should not be mistreated' in such a way that is being alleged on Strictly
GB News
In a statement, a spokesperson for Giovanni Pernice said: "We are cooperating fully with the BBC’s review process.
"All parties have been asked to respect this process and to not speak to the media before it concludes. We will continue to respect the integrity of the investigation and believe it is the right forum for all the evidence to be reviewed.
"As part of the evidence-led review, the BBC has shared the allegations they have been able to substantiate with us. They do not resemble Amanda’s latest allegations, given to Channel 4, in any shape or form.
"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. We would urge people to wait for the review’s conclusion and not to pay heed to these very serious and defamatory allegations that have no evidence in support of them."