Amanda Abbington’s ‘final throw of the cube’ in Strictly saga

Finally, after four months of damaging headlines and much internal gossip at the BBC, bosses at the Corporation met to discuss the verdict of their long-running investigation into Strictly professional dancer Giovanni Pernice – after his actress former partner complained he had bullied her during training.

There was much relief among many – deeply protective of the BBC’s flagship Saturday night show and with the broadcaster’s reputation on the line following the Huw Edwards scandal –that the truth was to be learned ahead of a public announcement three days later on July 29.

Today, The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Mr Pernice, Strictly’s longest-serving male pro, was to be exonerated after Amanda Abbington‘s accusations that he had displayed bullying behaviour in rehearsals last year. The 33-year-old Sicilian strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Even Abbington, whose side of the story has been well-documented in the media since January, told other members of the Strictly 2023 intake that he was going to be cleared. She was, say those who know her, ‘not happy’ about the expected decision.

But BBC insiders say there was no evidence that Mr Pernice had bullied her. In fact, what they did see was proof that Abbington was very grateful for his help.

‘The BBC wanted to exonerate Mr Pernice because nothing that Amanda said stuck,’ said a source familiar with the scandal. ‘There was absolutely nothing there to get him on – and, from the messages they saw, the picture was quite the opposite. He had been very supportive of her.

‘Even Amanda admits she can be a nightmare, she can get very angry and then calm down quickly. It’s how she is – and Giovanni tolerated a lot so they were absolutely going to clear his name.

‘Amanda had been telling her friends that she knew Giovanni not going to be found guilty. It was obviously a huge disappointment for her after investing so many months in her complaint.’

To make matters worse for Abbington, 50, who’s been in TV’s Sherlock and Mr Selfridge and is appearing on stage in Finsbury Park, north London, there was also a 28-minute audio tape of a conversation which Mr Pernice’s team believed showed that far from bullying her, he was hugely supportive.

Mr Pernice handed the inquiry a dossier of screenshots of WhatsApp messages between the pair, in which she gushes at how helpful he has been, how much she likes him and apologises to him.

It is said to be clear from the evidence that Mr Pernice had found himself managing ‘vulnerable’ Abbington’s ’emotions on many occasions’.

The decision, however, left bosses with another headache – how would they present the findings without having to imply in any way that they thought the actress was lying?

‘The problem they had was how on earth would they deliver it without having to basically say that she has been out to get Giovanni. Everything is so thin.’ And BBC bosses pointed out that it wouldn’t be a great ‘look’ for the Corporation to take the side of a man and risk implying they hadn’t believed the female accuser.

This view is said to have been exacerbated by the broadcaster’s increasingly woke agenda that has engulfed its employees in recent years.

‘The thought of telling the world that they didn’t believe a woman would go against absolutely every bit of their DNA. Imagine having to imply that a woman is a fantasist. That is just so un-BBC. It is a nightmare, an utter mess.’

While Abbington is said to have known she was facing the reality that the inquiry was not going to go her way, she was reportedly crestfallen.

She had, after all, made several claims, including one that her dance partner had bruised her foot during training.

But now it can be revealed that she is so determined to win her case that she is having what friends of Mr Pernice describe as ‘one last throw of the dice’ by telling the BBC about a short video clip he shared with her on WhatsApp.

Sources within the Corporation say it is ‘sex-related’ but in its nature was ‘very much banter’. And apparently, at the time Mr Pernice shared it, Abbington found it funny. At that point they were friends and getting on well, his supporters claim.

‘The clip was the sort of thing that might be shared around a group on a stag-do. It has a sexual theme but all very jokey. Yet if someone wants to say they are offended by it, that’s their right.’

Friends of Mr Pernice insist that she found it amusing at the time and it didn’t seem inappropriate to him.

Strictly sources also say Abbington had shown the clip to investigators earlier this year but felt that she could raise it again as it was the only evidence against him that would stick.

It was presented to Mr Pernice earlier this summer among the dossier of the actress’s claims.

‘This is literally the last thing that Amanda has got, so, of course, she will be hoping that it sticks. It’s the only thing that is in any way tangible against Giovanni.’ It is understood that the video no longer exists but messages concerning it may do. As such it isn’t known if the BBC has seen it.

As if the headache for the Corporation couldn’t get any worse, it was a BBC employee who sent it to Mr Pernice. This leaves the investigation in a precarious position.

One source said: ‘If they find against Gio, they will be under pressure to take action against any employee who has passed on the clip. This would be another nightmare but as with the BBC, while they back their staff they won’t want to be accused of double standards in any way.’

However, it might be decided that BBC investigators choose to use it as a ‘half-way house’ and say in their report that Mr Pernice’s message was inappropriate. ‘That way Amanda might be a bit happier,’ says one BBC insider.

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

The BBC refused her request. In April, it launched an investigation into her claims.

In an interview on Channel 4 News, the actress claimed that an incident of a ‘humiliating sexual nature’ had taken place on the primetime show.

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

Meanwhile, in another twist to the saga, in recent days, BBC staff have discovered an episode of a drama named Flack, which is currently on iPlayer. It tells the story of a celebrity PR company saving the reputations of their celebrity clients.

During episode five of the second series, which first aired on W in the UK in 2020, Abbington stars as an actress named Alexa Wells who falsely accuses a national treasure named Warren Armitage of sexual abuse to gain popularity.

Eventually, Alexa has to confess that she made it up, saying: ‘I didn’t make it all up – my story has affected so many women in so many ways.

‘Some of the specific details and specific characters of my particular account may have been ever so slightly… fabricated!’

While Mr Pernice has not been accused of sexual abuse, BBC staff have been sharing a clip of the show around, with one saying: ‘It’s all rather rum.’

As for Abbington, she is currently starring in a play, When It Happens To You, at the Park Theatre. The venue is small and as of yesterday morning, fewer than 100 people had bought tickets to see her in last night’s show.

There are, of course, now fears for the actress and her future employment, with showbusiness insiders worrying that networks may be scared to hire her after she spoke up.

As for when the verdict arrives, one BBC employee put it to me: ‘How long is a piece of string?’ Some of those in charge of the investigation are still on holiday.

‘There are a lot of ‘out of offices’ on!’ one source tells me. ‘This literally could go on for months.’