Appearing on Newsnight last week, Amanda Abbington said her former Strictly partner Giovanni Pernice verbally abused her.
She even said her time on the BBC show was a “constant litany of verbal abuse” by the Italian star.
But the Mail can now reveal that Ms Abbington called Pernice a series of swear words – and was even considered by the BBC investigation to have started the foul language.
Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice in last year’s Strictly series
Ms Abbington has previously spoken about what she believes was her ordeal on last year’s Strictly
The Sherlock actress, 52, is also said to have been the only one of the pair to use the ‘c-word’ in the hours of rehearsal footage seen by investigators in the investigation.
Corporation sources can reveal that during their written conversations on WhatsApp, Ms Abbington called the Sicilian dancer a ‘k***head’, a ‘d***face’ and a ‘t**t’ – despite her complaints that he abused her.
A source close to Pernice said: ‘Amanda has kept saying how awful Giovanni has been to her, but she still said things like this to him.
‘She used a lot of swear words, but she still went on TV to say how terrible things had been for her and that she had to go home and deal with all of Giovanni’s swear words.
“It’s all very, very rich of Amanda to have said this, now we know the truth. It is notable that she has chosen not to share this part of the report while she is on television giving interviews to throw mud at Giovanni.”
The review also found that, according to the BBC panel’s evidence, the use of derogatory terms and swear words between the pair was common.
It added that they used ‘very strong language’ and – in relation to the ‘use of coarse and sexualised language’ – that they were both given constructive feedback to reflect on their ‘use of language and humour’.
Rather than simply admonishing 34-year-old Pernice about his behavior, it also said the evidence showed “regular swearing, dark humor and jokes of a sexualized nature” from both sides.
It even went so far as to say that witnesses were made to feel ‘uncomfortable’ by both.
It can also be revealed that the review panel rejected her claim that she controlled Pernice’s behavior by ‘adopting a similar tone and language’ to that used by him. Investigators ruled that the evidence did not support this – and therefore refused to accept it.
Pernice, 34, said he was “satisfied” at the end of the investigation, which found in his favor on all but six of Ms Abbington’s 17 allegations.
The Sherlock actress complained about her treatment during the 2023 show
“Both Amanda and Giovanni used their language freely,” said a BBC source. ‘Amanda did that too and she didn’t need any encouragement from Gio at all.
‘Amanda has now done two interviews in which she talked about how difficult it was for her with Giovanni, how horrible he was to her. Because of this investigation, Gio is no longer on television in Great Britain, he is now in Italy and it really didn’t have to be this way.’
Last Wednesday, Ms Abbington told Newsnight presenter Victoria Derbyshire that Pernice used sexual innuendos and gestures while working with him. However, she neglected to mention her own swearing habits or swearing.
She said: ‘There was a 35 minute tirade against me where he threw his hands up in the air and cursed at me and he couldn’t deal with it anymore. If I got a dance step right, he would sketch his erection in his pants and tell me that because I got it right, my dance step took care of that. The other sexual accusation was verbal. These were not isolated one-off incidents.”
She described the past 12 months as “one of the worst years of my life” and added that “so many” women have thanked her for making the complaint.
Although the BBC report confirmed the claim that Pernice gestured to his crotch when Mrs Abbington did something right and said words along the lines of ‘look what you made me do’, it was determined that there was insufficient evidence to establish that he had an erection. at the time.
Ms Abbington spoke further about her torment last weekend, telling The Sun on Sunday that she had quit the show after finding lumps on her breast. But she claimed cancer fears were a “healthier option” than being in the training room with her partner during the competition.
She said: ‘In my last week, on Thursday morning, I was in the shower and found two lumps. After a mammogram a few months earlier, I was completely safe.’
She revealed she told Pernice she was going to hospital, adding: ‘It was the catalyst I’d been waiting for, which is awful. But that’s what I thought too, that it was a healthier option than being in that room [the training room].’
The lumps later turned out to be benign.
Her own foul language was also not discussed during that interview.
Last week the BBC upheld six of Ms Abbington’s 17 complaints about Pernice. As a result, the Corporation apologized and thanked her for coming to complain.
The review found that Pernice had used “derogatory” language towards her.
The six-month investigation, which cost the license fee payer more than £250,000, also found that on another occasion he said: ‘I’m fed up, if you want to look like a damn I don’t care. ‘
Ms Abbington’s complaint that Pernice would become frustrated with her while teaching her to dance was also upheld by the panel. This included comments such as: ‘You have such a talent and you don’t use it.’
Another time he told her, “I don’t know how to ask you anymore.” A further comment, when he said ‘it’s been four days now and I don’t know what to do’, was also deemed unlawful conduct.
In another outburst, Pernice said ‘f*****’ as he threw his arms in the air as he taught her how to perform a routine.
The claim that the Italian ballroom star had given negative feedback was also confirmed, with Pernice told he had not adapted sufficiently to Ms Abbington’s needs.
Of the two complaints upheld of a sexual nature, Mr Pernice was seen grabbing his crotch and making an obscene comment.
He also told his dance partner he wanted to ‘fuck her’ after Ms Abbington made a move in the training studio.”
Pernice can now be seen on the Italian version of Strictly, Ballando Con Le Stelle, where he topped the leaderboard on Saturday with his celebrity partner, actress Bianca Guaccero.
As the row threatens to rage on, a friend of Pernice reflected: ‘What is Strictly’s loss is Italy’s gain.’