Giovanni Pernice ‘wouldn’t change his teaching style’ after strict BBC investigation

Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice has said he is “relieved” that the BBC investigation into his conduct while teaching former contestant Amanda Abbington is over and that he would “not change” his teaching style in the future.

Sherlock actress Abbington made accusations against the Italian dancer earlier this year, claiming she was subjected to a “toxic environment” and “inappropriate, mean, nasty bullying”.

An investigation into the actress’s complaints about Pernice followed, with the BBC upholding “some, but not all” of the complaints against the professional dancer.

There were no findings regarding physical aggression, but complaints of verbal bullying and intimidation were upheld, the PA news agency understands.

Appearing on STV’s Lorraine for his first TV interview since the results were announced, Pernice said: “From my point of view I am relieved that the most serious allegations have been made public.

“Yes, six were enforced, but 11 were not enforced, which again means the most serious were not.”

He continued: “When it comes to confirming that claim, we got an allegation of verbal bullying, as we say, I adapt to the person in front of me, and vice versa. I guess this is life like this.

“When you’re in the room and we decide some kind of relationship between the two of us, I feel safe at that moment, we were fine with it and it went well. Never been a ‘Please don’t say this to me’ problem. And the other statement was that I was frustrated, which I recognize.

The dancer, who took part in the BBC dancing competition in 2015, said every dancer and celebrity who has taken part in an edition of Strictly has experienced frustration due to the ‘pressure’ to ‘perform perfectly’ on the show.

“So frustration, I think, is something that, if you want to be good, happens. And I care about my work,” he added.

“And when you have someone in your hands like Amanda, who I think was brilliant, could dance incredibly well, it’s natural that I try to do the best I can.”

When asked if he would change his teaching style after the survey, he said: “I wouldn’t change my teaching style because in my opinion it is a profession and dancing is very difficult to do.

“I reached four finals, I won the show with Rose (Ayling-Ellis), now I’m breaking records in Italy with Bianca (Guaccero).

“I potentially have all the records on Strictly, but it’s not about blowing my own trumpet. I think it’s a difficult discipline, and for me teaching, the way I teach, is the successful way to approach it.

“Yes, you can change the approach, but not the teaching style.”

Pernice, who is not part of this year’s Strictly professional dance line-up and has since joined Italian equivalent Ballando con le Stelle, has previously rejected “any claim of threatening or abusive behaviour”.

He said he was “glad” that Abbington came forward about her concerns, adding: “I’m not against the investigation being started in the first place because literally everyone, if they have a problem, should go and talk to someone, in this case with production. So I think she did the right thing.”

After the BBC upheld some of her complaints, Abbington said she felt “vindicated” and had “no regrets” about making them, despite receiving “hundreds” of death and rape threats.

In his Lorraine interview, Pernice condemned the trolling Abbington received, saying: “The trolling and the messages were disgusting. I don’t think anyone should do something like that, not even their worst enemy, absolutely.

“So all these messages she received about her daughter and son, which were threatening their lives anyway, should not have happened at all.”

The dancer said he is currently “very focused” on the Italian dance show, but will return to Britain in the new year for an upcoming tour.

On whether he will return to Strictly, he added: “Who knows, never say never.”

Last month the BBC said: “We have reviewed the complaints and have upheld some, but not all, of the complaints. We would like to apologize to Amanda Abbington and thank her for coming and participating. We know this wouldn’t have been easy.

“While the production team at the time took steps to address the issues as they understood them, these were ultimately not enough. That is why the measures we have taken to further strengthen our existing protocols are so important.”

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