Amanda Abbington slams Strictly Come Dancing’s ‘poisonous setting’

Amanda Abbington today slammed the ‘toxic environment’ at Strictly Come Dancing as she repeated bullying allegations against Giovanni Pernice.

The Sherlock actress has made a series of accusations about the teaching methods of her professional dancer partner on Strictly, who has since left the BBC One show.

The couple were paired for the show last year but Abbington left after week six – and she has since made a series of allegations about her time on the programme.

Speaking to ITV ‘s Lorraine this morning, Abbington said: ‘I felt I had to speak up because I don’t want people to be frightened about speaking about if they’re being bullied or if they are in a difficult situation and they feel like they are not being heard.

‘I do feel I have the right to say it was a toxic environment that I was in while I was rehearsing because it was. I know what happened in the room, and it would be remiss of me if i was to say it’s fine, I don’t want to talk about it.

‘It’s important that women and men, because men get bullied as well, it’s important that women feel they are in a safe space where they can say this is inappropriate behaviour and it needs be recognised.

Speaking to 2008 Strictly contestant Christine Lampard, who was hosting Lorraine today, Abbington added: ‘It was inappropriate, it was mean, it was nasty, it was bullying and I put up with it for five weeks. It started very early on and when it started to happen I shut down because I recognised those red flags.’

She said the issues began early on, saying: ‘It was week one, the third day. I’ve got texts to the producer on the third day saying ‘This is awful, he hates me, I don’t know what I’m doing wrong’.’

Asked about the trolling she had suffered since raising her concerns, Abbington said: ‘I knew that raising and voicing my concerns probably would mark me as public enemy number one, I realise that.

‘But it didn’t expect the onslaught I got and the persistent amount of death threats and rape threats to members of my family.’

She added: ‘I go outside worried because I had messages saying watch your back because you’re going after Giovanni. I’m not. I literally just said I’m not sure this is appropriate behaviour, can we do something about this?’

Speaking what she would like to happen next with Strictly, Abbington said: ‘I love Strictly, I always wanted to do that show. I think it’s a beautiful British institution.’

She added: ‘Most people on that show are wonderful and I’ve made some good friends on that show, I don’t want it to end.

‘I want it to have a beautiful extended life because its Saturday night entertainment.’

For herself, Abbington said: ‘I would like an apology and I would like this to not happen to women working in that corporation again and for it to be taken seriously.’

It comes after Abbington gave a tearful interview to Channel 4 News last night, saying ‘what happened to me in that room wasn’t acceptable’ as she made claims about the ‘bullying and aggressive behaviour’ of Pernice.

She added that she wants to encourage people who feel they are in a situation they think is ‘toxic and unsafe’ to complain.

And she alleged she had suffered ‘humiliating behaviour of a sexual nature’ on Strictly.

Abbington previously described Pernice’s behaviour as ‘unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean’. He strongly denies her claims.

In an interview with her former Strictly co-star Krishnan Guru-Murthy for Channel 4 News, she said: ‘I know it happened because it happened to me. I am not a sensational person… I’m not hysterical. I don’t make things out to be bigger than they are.

‘I know what happened to me in that room wasn’t acceptable. I complained about it and sort of have not been taken seriously.’

Guru-Murthy said that he had heard there was an instance which could be described as ‘humiliating behaviour of a sexual nature’, asking: ‘Is that right?’

And Abbington replied: ‘Yeah, I mean, you know, one of the many things.’

She claimed there are 50 hours of video footage – from cameras she alleges were installed after she raised concerns during her first week – which Pernice ‘doesn’t want anyone to see’ but have been reviewed by the BBC.

Asked by Guru-Murthy if she was talking about bullying, she replied: ‘Yes, it’s bullying and it’s aggressive behaviour. There were other things that were very upsetting, that you manage in the room at the time, because you’re a woman, and you have to manage those things because otherwise, what do you do?’

The actress claimed producers were ‘shocked and horrified’ after they viewed her training films, but says she is unable to provide more detail because of the ongoing BBC review of her complaint.

A spokesperson for Pernice said: ‘We are co-operating 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 they have been able to substantiate with us.

‘They do not resemble Amanda’s latest allegations, given to Channel 4, in any shape or form.

‘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.

‘We would urge people to wait for the review’s conclusion and not to pay heed to these very serious and defamatory allegations that have no evidence in support of them.’

Abbington said that since she made claims about her experience on Strictly, she has received ‘rape threats towards not only myself, but my daughter and the threats of death to my son’, adding they have been ‘brutal, relentless and unforgiving’.

Asked if these came from Strictly fans, she agreed and also alleged the behaviour came from supporters of Pernice.

There has been a storm of negative stories about the culture on the BBC’s flagship programme and the treatment of contestants.

Abbington said she knows of ‘three other women’ who went through something similar during their Strictly experiences and there are ‘potentially’ more people coming forward.

The actress also clarified there are ‘five or six (other complainants) from what I can gather, but there’s three main people who’ve made complaints, mine’s the official one’.

She said some of Pernice’s former dancer partners told her ‘I’m so sorry’, when they heard the news that she had been partnered with him.

On Tuesday, BBC director-general Tim Davie apologised to contestants who had an experience that ‘hasn’t been wholly positive’, and maintained the show would return.

Abbington said she was ‘glad’ Mr Davie ‘acknowledged it’.

Professional dancer Graziano Di Prima left the show after allegations about his treatment of Love Island star Zara McDermott, while Paralympian Will Bayley said he suffered a serious injury while performing a jump in Strictly rehearsals, and claimed he was shown ‘no duty of care’.

A BBC statement said: ‘Anyone involved in a complaint has a right to confidentiality and fair process and therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further on individuals.

‘However, when issues are raised with us we always take them extremely seriously and have appropriate processes in place to manage this. As we have said before, we would urge people not to indulge in speculation.

‘More generally, the BBC and BBC Studios takes duty of care extremely seriously. Our processes on Strictly Come Dancing are updated every year, they are kept under constant review and last week we announced additional steps to further strengthen welfare and support on the show.’