Amanda Abbington has appeared to send a defiant message ahead of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing report being published.
The Sherlock actress made allegations about dance partner Giovanni Pernice’s tough training techniques last year.
In January, it was reported the 51-year-old requested footage of the duo’s ‘tense’ training sessions, leading to a misconduct investigation.
The results of the investigation are expected to be revealed this week as Giovanni’s camp is confident that he will be cleared.
“And then every Friday, after the next sort of five weeks, I would get the producer saying, on the Friday, ‘we just watched the footage back, we are shocked and horrified, we’re so sorry’. That was to my face on the Friday when we would go in and do the camera rehearsal. It’s out there. 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 (Giovanni) doesn’t want anyone to see it, which is quite telling if he’s got nothing to hide.”
A spokesperson for Giovanni 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 and there are none, nor any evidence, that resembles Amanda Abbington’s numerous and variable allegations. 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.”
Giovanni has reportedly handed investigators a dossier of evidence, including WhatsApp messages and a 28-minute audio of him and Amanda speaking, which his team said shows how supportive he was to her. In one part, she told him that if she was him she “would have thrown me out of the window by now”.
In a message to his fans in June, Giovanni wrote: “To my fans and followers, Every week, there are totally untrue stories about me in the media. As you know, I have always rejected any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour. The latest accusations are simply false.
“I am cooperating fully with the ongoing BBC investigation, which will determine the truth. As requested, I have stayed silent, but I am looking forward to the conclusion of the investigation and ultimately clearing my name and establishing the truth. I am so happy to be back on tour. Thank you all for your continued support – you messages and love mean so very much to me. I will hopefully see many of you very soon and I look forward to clearing my name. With love, Giovanni.”
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Source: CNN
