Giovanni Pernice: BBC failed to safeguard Strictly stars
Giovanni Pernice: BBC failed to safeguard Strictly stars
Eric WilliamsSat, August 22, 2026 at 3:36 PM UTC
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Giovanni Pernice said that the bullying row had left him suicidal - Laura Larmo
Giovanni Pernice has accused the BBC of failing to safeguard its stars on Strictly Come Dancing by not doing psychological assessments of celebrity contestants.
The Italian professional dancer left the show three years ago over allegations made against him by Amanda Abbington, his celebrity dance partner.
The actress, who starred in the BBC’s Sherlock television series, alleged that Pernice had bullied and harassed her during the competition.
Giovanni Pernice and Amanda Abbington competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2023 for five weeks before she withdrew from the competition for medical reasons - Guy Levy/BBC/PA
In his new book, called Gio: My Story, serialised in The Daily Mail, Pernice claimed Abbington had “openly spoken” about having struggled with her mental health, but the BBC had “failed” to conduct psychological assessments of contestants.
The dancer wrote: “On many reality TV shows, participants are given psychological assessments before being signed. But to my knowledge, none were carried out on the Strictly celebrity contestants to ensure they were mentally able to cope with the challenge.”
Pernice called it a “big mistake” by the BBC and claimed it “puts the celebrities and the pro dancers at risk”.
“Put simply, I think the corporation failed us,” he said. “Before joining Strictly, Amanda Abbington had openly spoken about having struggled with her mental health.
“If the producers didn’t suspect she could still be fragile, why weren’t there processes in place to check?”
Abbington had discussed her mental health struggles before Strictly. In 2023, she told James O’Brien on his Full Disclosure podcast that she had felt she “was a bit of a mess” at times and “hated herself”, saying she had considered taking her own life “quite a few times”.
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In his book, Pernice said the bullying row left him feeling suicidal, saying he wanted to “end it all”.
“There were certainly times I would have killed myself if Molly [Molly Brown, his then girlfriend] hadn’t been there,” he said.
The dancer also made a series of claims detailing his alleged conversations with Abbington. He said their “banter” included “bad language” and claimed she called him “rude names” and made “rude gestures”.
Giovanni Pernice and Amanda Abbington pose for a picture. She said she raised concerns with producers on the third day of rehearsals - Ray Burniston/BBC/PA
The BBC launched an investigation into the dancer’s teaching methods on the show following the actress’s complaints.
It ultimately upheld some, but not all, of the complaints, and it was understood that a five-figure out-of-court settlement was reached with Abbington, with the figure paid by BBC Studios.
The corporation made no findings relating to physical aggression in its 2024 review, but complaints of verbal bullying and harassment were upheld, it was understood.
Pernice rejected “any claim of threatening or abusive behaviour” and welcomed the conclusion of the review at the time.
After the review, the BBC introduced measures to improve welfare on the show, including having a chaperone present “at all times” during training-room rehearsals.
The BBC and Abbington were contacted for comment.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
