Sherlock star Amanda Abbington has fired fresh shots in the rumbling row over the professional conduct of her former Strictly Come Dancing partner Giovanni Pernice.
Abbington performed with Pernice during the 2023 season of the BBC dance competition, but dropped out early citing “personal reasons.”
The actress has reportedly engaged London law firm Carter-Ruck to pursue a complaint with the BBC about Pernice’s teaching methods. Other celebrities who have partnered with Pernice are also said to be party to the complaint.
Abbington has now spoken out about the dancer in an interview with The Mail On Sunday, telling the newspaper that Pernice was “nasty.” Pernice has denied wrongdoing.
Abbington said: “Giovanni is nasty. He was awful to a few of us.”
She added: “You don’t understand how awful this all is … Giovanni’s fans have started trolling me now. I have had to come off social media and I’m getting death threats.”
Abbington said she complained about Pernice to Strictly Come Dancing‘s BBC Studios production team. “I went to producers early on and told them about Giovanni,” she said.
On the fallout from the show, she added: “All of this because I didn’t enjoy a television program. I didn’t enjoy it because of all of this.”
Pernice issued a statement on Instagram last month vowing to clear his name. The professional dancer said: “To my dear fans, you will be as surprised as I am that allegations have been made about my dance teaching methods in the media this week.
“Of course, I reject any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour, and I look forward to clearing my name.”
The BBC took the unusual step of commenting on the allegations, which have been a running theme in the UK’s tabloid newspapers for weeks.
The BBC said: “It is a longstanding position that the BBC does not comment on specific matters related to individuals. Nor ordinarily, would we comment on whether we are reviewing any individual complaints.
“Recently, we have seen a number of media reports about a high-profile show. Anyone involved in a complaint has a right to confidentiality and fair process. If a complaint is made to the BBC, we assess and take any necessary steps to establish the facts, whether there is a case to answer, and, if appropriate, what action should be taken.
“This is all within the context of the BBC having duties of care to everyone linked to a complaint – that applies to those that have raised the complaint and to those that have been complained about.”
