Giovanni Pernice makes feelings clear on fresh Amanda Abbington bombshell claims as he hits back with statement
Giovanni Pernice has issued a response to Amanda Abbington's tearful Channel 4 interview
CHANNEL 4/GETTY
Giovanni Pernice has issued a stern statement in response to Amanda Abbington's latest interview with Channel 4 News following the pair's BBC Strictly stint.
On Wednesday evening, Krishnan Guru-Murthy's interview with the Sherlock star aired on Channel 4 in which she addressed her time working with the 33-year-old Italian dancer on last year's show.
Abbington quit the series early and went on to raise complaints about Pernice's conduct in the rehearsal room, claiming to have been left with PTSD as a result.
Pernice has always vehemently denied any claims of "threatening or abusive" behaviour and vowed to "clear his name" but on Wednesday, he faced fresh claims not made public before.
Speaking to Guru-Murthy - who also competed on the show last year - Abbington was left in tears when she claimed Pernice had "blocked" the relase of "50 hours" of incriminating footage from the rehearsal room to her lawyers.
Abbington also struggled to get her words out when Guru-Murthy brought up rumours he'd heard of an instance of "humiliating behaviour of a sexual nature" shown by Pernice towards the actress.
Amanda Abbington shared new claims against Giovanni with Channel 4
CHANNEL 4
Abbington alleged: "There’s 50 hours of footage that’s being blocked. You know, 50 hours is a lot of footage, and a lot of time spent in a room that was toxic.
"There is evidence out there of what happened in that room and I’m not the one who’s blocking it. I’ve said anyone can watch it, but he doesn’t want anyone to see it, which is quite telling if he’s got nothing to hide."
She went on to claim: "Giovanni said that he asked for the cameras, he didn’t ask for the cameras, I know that he didn’t ask for the cameras, because the producers came to me and said, 'We’re going to put in cameras so we can view the footage at the end of the week and make an assessment and see what’s going on.'"
Abbinton proceeded to tell Guru-Murthy that producers would often apologise to Abbington after being left "horrified" by what they were witnessing on the tapes.
Amanda Abbington broke down in tears as she recalled her time working with Giovanni
CHANNEL 4
Hitting back at Abbington's claims, a spokesperson for Pernice addressed the interview in a statement to GB News.
They 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."
The statement went on: "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.
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"Brutal, relentless, unforgiving…rape threats to myself and my daughter and threats of death to my son."
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Exclusive: Amanda Abbington talks about the online abuse she has suffered since accusing her former Strictly partner Giovanni Pernice of abusive behaviour, which he denies. pic.twitter.com/MbRT1qyPUy
"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."
The BBC similarly issued a statement to Channel 4 in response to Abbington's bombshell claims.
It said: "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.
"As we have said before, we would urge people not to indulge in speculation. More generally, the BBC and BBC Studios takes duty of care extremely seriously. Our processes on Strictly Come Dancing are updated every years, they are kept under constant review and last week we announced additional steps to further strengthen welfare and support on the show."