Amanda Abbington breaks silence on BBC's bombshell Giovanni Pernice report

Amanda Abbington has broken her silence after the BBC released their bombshell report into her claims on her experience on Strictly with professional dancer Giovanni Pernice.

The Sherlock actress, 50, said in a statement: "As the BBC has indicated today in its statement, my decision to come forward and complain about Giovanni Pernice’s conduct towards me was not an easy thing to do. In the days, weeks and months since I contacted the BBC, I’ve been accused of being a liar, a troublemaker and of being “mad and unstable”. I’ve also received rape and murder threats and a bomb threat was sent to my place of work. My family and children have also been subjected to threats and intimidation.

"Despite this vile abuse, I’ve never regretted coming forward, and today’s apology from the BBC is a vindication of my complaint. It’s not just a vindication for me, it’s a vindication for the other people who have contacted me since I made my complaint to express concerns about their own experiences on Strictly Come Dancing. I hope those who have felt unable to speak out now will be more confident that they will be listened to and believed. The BBC has invited me to meet with senior management and this is something I will now be considering.

"This apology means a great deal to me. So too does the fact that the BBC have acknowledged the steps that were put in place to support and protect me and past contestants were 'not enough'.

"What matters most now is that lessons have been learned and that the BBC makes the changes they’ve promised, to ensure others don’t experience the same ordeal that I and others like me did."

Amanda suddenly quit the BBC show in October, citing personal reasons for her exit and went on to reveal that she has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which she claimed was due to Giovanni's "militant" style of training.

After she issued an official complaint, the BBC launched an internal investigation into the treatment of Strictly's celebrity contestants through evidence gathering of rehearsal footage and interviewing backstage crew. Giovanni, who has always vehemently denies all claims against him, went on to quit the show in May. Just months later in July, fellow pro dancer Graziano Di Prima was sacked within 48 hours of bosses reviewing footage of his incident with celebrity partner Zara McDermott.

That same month, Amanda appeared in two television interviews to shed further light on her allegations against Giovanni. During her Channel 4 interview, Amanda accused the Sicilian-born professional of 'sexual bullying' publicly for the first time. She also claimed there was '50 hours of blocked footage' from her training sessions.

Giovani has strongly denied all claims against him and was said to be determined to clear his name, with his camp claiming at the time that they had 'bombshell' evidence that could 'prove Amanda was a liar'. BBC bosses were said to have been 'literally in meltdown' over what to do with the situation, especially while they attempted to sign up celebs ahead of the new series.

Strictly went on to make a series of big changes to training on the show this year. Firstly, by bringing back a weekly cap on practice hours which was first introduced last year. The cap means celebrities and their professional dancers can only rehearse for around 48 hours per week, which equates to an average of eight hours per day, with a day off.

The couples can choose the hours they want to practice, but without exceeding the weekly total. The weekly cap was established to create a level playing field between the contestants.

Chaperones are also present in the room "at all times" while couples rehearse. We also previously reported that BBC staff have had their emails, texts and WhatsApps examined as part of the Strictly bullying probe. Members of the crew have had their phones searched for references to Giovanni Pernice or Amanda Abbington, who made allegations against the pro dancer. The subject access request is understood to have been made to the BBC by Amanda’s team, to provide any personal data or information that might shed light on Gio and Amanda's relationship. A source said: "People complied with it in the hope that it shoots down any claims of a cover-up."

The investigation was launched by the corporation following allegations that Amanda was subjected to "nasty" bullying by Giovanni for the duration of last year's show. He denies the allegations and the results of the probe are thought to be due soon. A source added: "Hopefully we'll be able to draw a line under this once and for all, especially with the show set to start."

In one interview, Sherlock star Amanda, 50, said: "It was inappropriate, it was mean, it was nasty, it was bullying and I put up with it for five, six weeks. It started very early on and when it started to happen I would shut down... I recognised those red flags." She added: "I was going into the rehearsal room every day. I've been in rehearsal rooms for 32 years. I know what rehearsal rooms are supposed to be like. I don't care what background you're from – whether it's dancing, acting, singing – you have a duty of care to bring into that rehearsal room compassion, understanding, ­sensitivity and kindness."

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