Giovanni Pernice receives support from Strictly Come Dancing professional after BBC probe findings

Giovanni Pernice received the backing of a former Strictly Come Dancing co-star after the findings into allegations against him were released.

For months, the Italian dancer was subjected to an internal investigation following accusations made against him from former dance partner Amanda Abbington. While six of the allegations were upheld, Giovanni claimed in a lengthy Instagram statement: "It's over. It's finished."

He opened up about his happiness that "very very serious allegations" had been "thrown out" adding: "All the threatening, abusive, harassment behaviour allegations have not been upheld."

And as he thanked his fans and friends for support, many took to the comments section to share messages with the star. Among those clicking the like button, was Strictly star Lauren Oakley. He response was quickly noticed by online users too, with some responded to her liking the post.

One user on Twitter /X said: "So glad Lauren Oakley has liked Giovanni Pernice's post. Nice to see at least one of his fellow professionals standing by him after what he's gone through with the Amanda Abbington investigation." Another added: "Lauren was his partner in his tour shows n obviously knows him as well as anyone. Same as Anton."

Giovanni ended his video statement by saying: "I’m happy because today I can carry on to do what I was born to do, and I love to do which is entertain all of you, because this is my life. This is what I do, so I'm always grateful to all of you and just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, and saying that I love you all and always, always thank you."

Despite his words, the BBC apologised to Amanda after it “upheld some, but not all” of her complaints about the Italian during their time on the show. In the review it was said Giovanni "was swearing and using what could be described as belittling language". This amounted to bullying ­behaviour, it added. Another complaint upheld was that Giovanni, 34, was using “too much negative feedback”.

One comment said he had grabbed his crotch and uttered a lewd remark, while another revealed he told his dance partner that he “wanted to f*** her”. However, a source close to Giovanni claimed: “This was all done in jest and perceived in this way by Amanda. They were intended as jokes and compliments of her dancing style. Her language could be just as coarse back.”

Following the announcement from the BBC, Amanda said: "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."

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