Strictly's Giovanni Pernice claims only point of Amanda Abbington allegations 'were to destroy me'

Giovanni Pernice believes that the accusations brought forth by his Strictly Come Dancing partner, Amanda Abbington, were solely intended to harm him and his professional reputation.

The 34-year-old Italian dancer, who is a professional in his field, has been addressing allegations of verbal abuse and harassment brought forward by the actress. She had withdrawn from the show the previous year.

The BBC acknowledged "some, though not all," of the claims made against them. Abbington referred to the corporation's apology as a "vindication," while Pernice rejected accusations of exhibiting "abusive or threatening behavior."

During an interview on ITV's Lorraine, Pernice expressed his relief that the most serious accusations were dismissed.

"Yes, the decision regarding six has been confirmed, but eleven has not been. This means that the most serious concerns have not been addressed," he stated.

He stated, "Regarding the situation we addressed, there were claims of verbal harassment. As I see it, I adjust to the person I’m interacting with, and they do the same for me."

"If we're together and agree on the nature of our relationship, I feel secure in that moment. We're comfortable with it, and everything is fine. I've never had issues like, 'Please don’t bring this up.' As for the other claim, I acknowledge that it stemmed from my frustration."

During another interview with Mail+, he expressed his frustration by saying he felt like "punching the TV" when he heard Abbington state in a Channel 4 interview that the accusations against him were of a "sexual nature"—a statement that the BBC did not support.

He informed the news outlet, "This was the first time any sexual matters were being discussed. Naturally, I feared it might ruin my career since most of my audience consists of children and women."

I was portrayed in a way that didn't reflect who I really am. It felt like their only goal was to bring me down.

During his appearance on Lorraine, hosted by Christine Lampard, Pernice discussed his approach to rehearsals. He remarked, "I wouldn't alter my teaching style because, for me, it's a profession, and dancing is quite challenging."

"It's a challenging field, and in my experience, the way I teach is the most effective method for tackling it. While you can adjust the approach, the core teaching style should remain the same."

Pernice, who wasn’t included in this year's Strictly lineup, has now become a part of the Italian version instead.

For a better experience with the video player, we recommend using the Chrome browser.

In 2021, he won the Strictly Come Dancing trophy together with Rose Ayling-Ellis, an EastEnders actress who made history as the first deaf contestant to take home the title. He also made it to the finals in 2017 with Debbie McGee and in 2018 with Faye Tozer.

This year, the show introduced some new measures, including having chaperones present during rehearsals due to several recent allegations.

Check out additional coverage from Sky News: Liam Payne tested positive for cocaine at the time of his death; there are reports that Harvey Weinstein is battling a rare form of cancer; Iron Maiden have responded to the passing of their former lead singer.

In July, Strictly Come Dancing professional Graziano Di Prima announced his departure from the show following claims of misconduct. Additionally, Laura Whitmore reported experiencing 'inappropriate behavior' while she was part of the program.

Last week, Welsh opera singer Wynne Evans expressed that he was deeply saddened by claims that he had made his dance partner, Katya Jones, feel "uncomfortable" during a particular episode.

A representative from the BBC later informed Sky News that "their exchanges were just lighthearted jokes."