Former Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Giovanni Pernice has hit back at claims that he failed to offer his former celebrity partner Amanda Abbington a break during rehearsals, insisting she was mature enough to ask for one herself.
The 35-year-old dancer addressed the accusation while discussing a BBC investigation into 16 allegations made against him during the 2023 series of the flagship BBC dance show, which upheld six complaints and cleared him of ten of the most serious accusations.
Pernice, who is preparing to release his new book titled Taking The Lead, discussed the findings during an appearance on GB News on Wednesday while promoting the memoir, in which he vents his fury at the BBC over its handling of the controversy that led to his exit from the programme.
Reflecting on the specific allegations that were upheld by the broadcaster, Pernice explained his perspective on the rehearsal schedule and the language used behind closed doors.
"Some of the allegations upheld were the fact that I didn't give her a break," Pernice said. "I guess she's quite mature enough to ask for a break if she wanted to."
He added: "And then using other words, as I always said, we were in the room using the same words. So some of the allegations were just not very important to uphold, but I guess they had to do it."
Victory in Italian Dance Contest
Following the end of his contract with the BBC, Pernice moved abroad to participate in the Italian edition of the television dance format, Ballando con le Stelle, winning the 2024 series alongside his celebrity partner and now-girlfriend, Bianca Guaccero.
Pernice described his victory in Italy as a moment of personal vindication after a tumultuous year in the public spotlight.
"But then luckily the investigation finished and they cleared me of the most serious allegations, so I went to do the same job in a different country, which was my little revenge, winning the show," Pernice said. "So basically doing the same show in a different country and winning it, and then I found my girlfriend, so happy days."
Strictly Come Dancing is a long-running BBC celebrity ballroom competition, while Abbington is an English actress who partnered with Pernice in the 2023 series before withdrawing from the competition.
Tense Interview on Daytime Television
Pernice's comments on GB News followed a contentious appearance on ITV's daytime flagship programme This Morning on Tuesday, where viewers criticized hosts Craig Doyle and Christine Lampard for what fans described as an interrogation.
During the live broadcast, a frustrated Pernice clashed with Doyle after the presenter suggested that writing a memoir served to reopen the scandal surrounding his departure from the BBC show.
Pernice firmly rejected the assertion, telling Doyle: "It's the story of my life. It's not a book dedicated to the investigation."
When Doyle replied that "It's hard to move on when you put something like that in the book though," Pernice rebuffed the comment and explained the motivation behind publishing Taking The Lead.
"The point of the book is to say thank you to all the people who supported me along the way," Pernice said. "Second of all, instead of me going and giving every single possible interview, it was to write it down, what is actually factual and my point of view. I played by the rules, I waited until after the investigation finished. It's a part of my memoir, it's a part of my life."
Doyle pushed back during the exchange, stating: "But it's the part of the memoir that gets it serialised and you on sofas." Pernice countered that "the aim of the book was not to be sitting on This Morning."
Clash Over Professional Training Methods
During the interview, Doyle questioned Pernice about the transition from intense competitive dance environments to mainstream television entertainment.
Doyle pointed out that in the dance world "you do develop a relationship when you are training, which is kind of harsh," asking: "When that world meets the showbiz world, like Strictly, how difficult is that when you are bringing that competitive nature, that harsh nature? Like with Amanda."
Pernice replied: "I always say it depends on what you want to achieve. Over the years on Strictly I've had nine celebrities, some of them were pushing me 'can we do more?' Some of them just want to do an hour, get paid and go home. It depends who you've got in front of you. Our job is to understand and to try and push them as much as we can."
When asked about the breakdown of his working relationship with Abbington, Pernice reiterated that he was not sacked from Strictly, but rather his contract was not renewed, maintaining that he matched the tone set in the room during training.
He explained that he now feels comfortable discussing the period because he waited for the investigation to conclude and for his mental health to recover.
Host Interrogation and Abbington Statement
Doyle challenged Pernice's characterization of the dispute, noting: "I appreciate it was a tough time but it was also a tough time for Amanda. She wouldn't have gone through with the whole process, let's be honest, unless she felt there was something in it."
Doyle added: "She also got a payout and she's saying now that you're kind of underplaying things. She's seeing this situation very, very differently than you."
Pernice responded that he has "spoken facts, this is what was upheld, this is what was not upheld." When Doyle interrupted to ask whether he could reflect on the complaints upheld and if he saw what he did wrong, Pernice refused to justify himself further.
"I'm not here to justify myself, my life moved on, I'm happy now," Pernice said. "I went to Italy, I won the same show in a different country. I did have my small revenges in life, and now I've got a new girlfriend who makes me very happy."
During the segment, Lampard read out an official statement issued on behalf of Abbington by her spokesman in response to Pernice's media appearances.
The statement read: "In the past fortnight Mr Pernice has persisted in trying to reframe the BBC Investigation and the findings that it made against him. To suggest he has not been given the chance to give his side of the story is ludicrous given the thorough investigation conducted by the BBC which he was a part of, but - unsurprisingly - seems unhappy with the outcome."
The spokesman added: "To suggest that the findings against him related only to use of swear words is also wrong, but both parties were asked to keep the contents of the Investigation Report confidential. Following the investigation the BBC apologised to me and paid me substantial compensation: that speaks for itself."
Social Media Backlash From Viewers
Following the broadcast of the interview, viewers turned to social media platform X to express frustration over what they perceived as biased questioning by the presenters.
One user commented: "The presenters on This Morning were clearly very biased towards Amanda Abbington. Uncomfortable viewing. I’d be raging if I was Giovanni Pernice."
Another wrote: "Why are the presenters being so hard on Giovanni, YET AGAIN. He's the innocent party in all of this. This Morning should be ashamed of themselves. He's just promoting his book. No-one is interested in Amanda?"
A third viewer shared: "I was shouting at the telly… he was treated very unfairly… I think Craig was really harsh, but I bet he’s being told to say those things, he looked very uncomfortable… I was disgusted."
A fourth post read: "I agree. Christine facial expression, tone and body language was dreadful. Communicating contempt and aggression. It was disgraceful."
The Daily Mail has approached representatives for Craig Doyle and Christine Lampard for comment regarding the interview feedback.
