Strictly’s Giovanni Pernice ‘may earn £100K’ on rival present

Just 24 hours before he learns the outcome of the BBC‘s bullying investigation, Giovanni Pernice was all smiles yesterday – apparently confident his name will be cleared.

Pictured leaving his morning dance class, he gave a thumbs-up to photographers.

Today the Sicilian will discover the result of the corporation’s internal investigation into allegations that he bullied former dance partner Amanda Abbington, 52.

It comes after TV presenter Laura Whitmore confirmed over the weekend that she has spoken to the BBC about ‘inappropriate’ behaviour by an individual on the show.

Ms Whitmore, 39, who was partnered with Mr Pernice in the 2016 series of Strictly, said she initially raised concerns to the BBC six years ago. 

Sources have claimed that Ms Whitmore and Ms Abbington had an ’emotional summit’ earlier this year with fellow Strictly alumna Ranvir Singh, 46, where they ‘compared notes’ about their time working with Mr Pernice, 33.

The dancer has always denied all of the allegations, claiming to have provided a dossier of evidence to Beeb investigators, and is said to be ‘fully confident’ that they will find in his favour.

ITV is said to be ready to swoop in to sign the dancer if he is cleared of the allegations. He quit Strictly in April, after nine years, following the BBC’s decision to launch its inquiry.

It is said that ITV bosses know how popular Mr Pernice is with viewers and think he would be a huge ratings winner.

One programme he is expected to star in is I’m A Celeb later this year, which is on at the same time as Strictly, and could net him in the region of £100,000.

Bosses, who are thrilled at the possibility of snatching Mr Pernice away from their rivals, also want to give him other shows and documentaries which would mean he would be one of ‘their own’.

A source at ITV said: ‘As long as those at the top are satisfied that Giovanni isn’t a bully and didn’t behave inappropriately during Strictly, they will be signing him up. They are very aware of how much Strictly viewers will miss him, he’s a true fans’ favourite, so they hope he will draw in big audiences.

‘Just imagine him on I’m A Celeb, he would be a favourite to win and they know he would be very good value in the jungle.

‘He would bring a huge fan base with him. He appeals to people of all ages which is a godsend for any broadcaster.’

The Beeb, meanwhile, has axed his adventure show with Strictly judge Anton du Beke.

Mr Pernice has vowed to never go back to Strictly, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year.

He may even take legal action against the BBC.

A source close to Mr Pernice said: ‘Gio is looking forward to getting his career going again.

‘His Strictly one may have come to an end but that doesn’t mean it’s over for him.

‘There are some very exciting things in the pipeline.

‘He is really popular and there is a huge appetite for him elsewhere. He will never go back to Strictly, too much has happened.’

Giovanni is convinced he has presented evidence that proves he is far from the ‘cruel, abusive and mean’ man the Sherlock star Amanda claims he is.

Mr Pernice handed investigators a 28-minute long audio of Ms Abbington and him in conversation which his team proves he was instead hugely supportive.

During the clip, she told Mr Pernice that if she was him she ‘would have thrown me out of the window by now’ in an apparent acknowledgement that she could be difficult.

She also admitted she ‘self sabotages’ and repeatedly referred to how he supported her as she struggled with the show.

Ms Abbington even described herself as a ‘nightmare’ during the time they danced together from August until October last year.

The Mail On Sunday also reveals Mr Pernice handed the corporation lengthy screenshots of WhatsApp messages between himself and Ms Abbington where she would gush at how helpful he had been, how much she liked him and also makes apologies to him. 

Sources close to the situation say that Mr Pernice now expects to be cleared of bullying her after the three-month investigation, with the BBC announcing its findings to both parties on Monday. The Corporation is also expected to release an ‘anodyne’ statement.

The investigation has been a frustrating one for the BBC, particularly as Ms Abbington has spoken out several times in the last week in advance of the end of the probe.

Last week she said that there was an incident of a ‘humiliating sexual nature’ in an interview with Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy, who took part in the same series of Strictly.

She also said she received dozens of death and rape threats each day after she complained to the BBC that Mr Pernice had been bullying her.

This newspaper can reveal that Mr Pernice’s former dance partners were invited in by the BBC to explain their own experiences of working with him.

Meanwhile, members of the Strictly crew were also interviewed. It is understood none reported that they had either experienced or witnessed Mr Pernice, 33, behave badly.

The scandal unfolded at the turn of the year after Ms Abbington told The Sun that she had suffered from PTSD as a result of appearing on Strictly. She also reportedly asked to see rehearsal footage so she could pass it onto her lawyers.

The BBC refused her request. In April, it launched a formal investigation into her claims that Mr Pernice had bullied during their training sessions.

Mr Pernice’s spokesman said that he was not made aware of the sexual allegations until Channel 4 approached his lawyers at Schillings to offer a right to reply just hours before the interview was aired on Wednesday. He vehemently denies the claims.

Previously, Ms Abbington had claimed Mr Pernice stamped on her foot, leaving her with a bruised toe. She has given no other details.

Last Sunday she told The Sun: ‘I found Giovanni’s behaviour unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean. I couldn’t sit back and let him do that to other people.’ She offered no further details.

Meanwhile, the fallout at the BBC is said to be ‘serious.’ Bosses are already under scrutiny over why the investigation took three months, during which time significant damage was done to Strictly, often referred to as the jewel in the Corporation’s crown.

But insiders have hit back by saying that it was because the inquiry went on for so long that Strictly staff were able to raise professional dancer Graziano Di Prima hitting and kicking his former partner Zara McDermott. Investigators fired him within 48 hours, citing misconduct.

Despite the outcome of the inquiry into Mr Pernice being expected tomorrow, sources at the BBC say there could be more to come.

During her interview with Mr Guru-Murthy, Ms Abbington said she wanted to be remunerated for loss of earnings following her appearance on the show and the claims she was bullied.

But they also face potential action from Mr Pernice, who is unhappy that he was paired with Ms Abbington without them doing any psychological tests on her.

Yesterday, a spokesman for Ms Abbington said: ‘These details don’t alter anything: as Amanda has repeatedly made clear, she did her best to make things work.

‘This included being open with Giovanni about her own shortcomings as a dancer and her awareness that this must have been difficult for him.

‘For these comments to now be presented as some form of an excuse for the bullying that Amanda experienced is as unacceptable as the behaviour itself.’