GIOVANNI Pernice has revealed the last words he spoke to Amanda Abbington after their bitter row amid a severe abuse investigation.
Giovanni, 34, also hit back at a number of claims made in his first interview since the BBC published its findings.
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Giovanni Pernice first opened an investigation into severe abuseCredit: PA
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He revealed the last words he spoke to dance partner Amanda AbbingtonCredit: PA
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Amanda accused him of bullying her backstage on Strictly and later spoke out on Newsnight following the BBC report
Sherlock star Amanda, 50, left Strictly Come Dancing last year and later made a formal complaint against Giovanni along with three of his former dance partners.
The actress left the show during week six after finding two lumps in her breasts and fearing she had cancer.
She has since revealed that their rehearsals got so bad that she was relieved when a cancer scare meant she could call it quits.
Giovanni now remembered the moment Amanda had told him about her health scare during their last rehearsal together.
He insisted he immediately contacted the doctor to arrange the scan and said that was the last time they ever spoke.
The dancer told MailOnline: “Amanda told me she couldn’t concentrate because she found two lumps in the shower.
“I said, ‘Please tell me it’s nothing serious’, and the first thing I did was call my doctor and try to arrange for her to go in for a scan straight away.”
Also in the interview, the Sicilian denied making sexual remarks during rehearsals, but admitted that they had “very rude jokes”.
He recalled: “Amanda was funny, we made each other laugh. She would say really bad things, like the c word. She would use it.
“Actually, the production staff came up to us and said, ‘We noticed that’s your name, is that okay?’
Amanda Abbington reveals she held a tearful secret meeting with Giovanni Pernice’s ex-partners at her home and ‘they all said the same thing’
“And she said, ‘Oh yeah, it’s good, that’s what I call him! It’s absolutely fine, I started,’ were her words. And I said, ‘Yeah guys, we’re good, we joke like this.
“She’s the kind of person who would start a joke. She would tell a dark joke.
“That was a joke we had from the beginning, a very rude joke.”
He referred to Amanda’s claim that he told her: “You’re a 51-year-old menopausal woman, but I’d still fuck you”, which the inquest did not establish and found evidence.
Giovanni said he was confused by Amanda’s claim, adding: “I had to ask my agent what menopause meant.”
The professional dancer realized that Amanda was not enjoying rehearsals after their colleague warned him of her frustrations after just one week.
He said he was worried she might misrepresent their time together – so he began secretly recording their sessions, saying: “I did it to protect myself”.
After a backlash from Amanda and other former celebrity dance partners, Giovanni was at the center of a five-month storm of abuse and an escalating crisis.
Last month, the BBC cleared him of ten of the 16 charges brought against him by Amanda.
The Beeb also apologized to Amanda for revealing her experience with him was “morbid and toxic”.
Amanda then conducted a series of interviews on high profile platforms such as Newsnight, Channel 4 News and The Sun.
Recalling her interviews, Giovanni said he cried constantly and was distraught, and the claims devastated his family.
He said: “I called the parents in tears. They are the closest to me. They asked them if their son was a bully.
“Everyone was upset, it upset me. There were so many tears of frustration and sadness.”
Giovanni will speak again on Lorraine Kelly’s daytime show on Tuesday morning.
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Giovanni starred in Strictly with Amanda 2023. Credit: PA
Strictly’s full scandal so far
The scandal surrounding Strictly Come Dancing has been growing over the past few months, with several of the main players speaking out about what happened. Here are the key moments of what has happened so far
May 16: Giovanni Pernice makes a sensational exit from Strictly Come Dancing after nine years on the show.
May 17: Giovanni becomes the focus of an official investigation after three former partners – believed to be Amanda Abbington, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh – complain to the BBC.
June 16: Giovanni releases an official statement promising to clear his name and denying any wrongdoing.
July 8: Strictly confirms that Aljaz Skorjanec will return to the series, replacing Giovanni, after originally leaving the series two years ago.
July 10: Amanda Abbington launches new legal action to obtain rehearsal footage from her time with Giovanni, after he allegedly refused to release the videos.
July 13: Graziano Di Prima is booted from Strictly for “gross misconduct” after footage of his behavior towards Zara McDermott was provided to the BBC.
Graziano quickly broke his silence, apologizing for his behavior in a statement and saying he “deeply regrets it,” adding that his “intense passion and determination to win may have affected his training regimen.”
July 15: Strictly bosses implement new care protocols, including the presence of a chaperone during all rehearsals.
July 16: Zara McDermott speaks publicly for the first time. She states that while the production team was “amazing to work with”, she found the rehearsal room “completely different”, confirming that there are recordings of “certain situations”.
July 19: Anton Du Beke has been put under the spotlight for his “1970s attitude” and treatment of celebrity stars, particularly after he allegedly called 2009 partner Laila Rouass a “p***” after she tanned.
July 21: Paralympian Will Bayley, who has arthrogryposis, revealed he was encouraged to jump off the table during a dance routine, despite his fears. The stunt caused an injury that forced him to withdraw from the show.
July 22: MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace admits he burst into tears and developed a nasty facial rash during his time on Strictly 2014.
July 22: Despite ongoing issues, the Strictly Professional cast begins rehearsals for this year’s series.
July 23: Celebrity agent Melanie Blake claims she was sexually assaulted by an unnamed professional dancer while backstage at a show and claims she witnessed ageist behavior, rudeness and rough treatment to the point of injury.
July 23: Strictly is forced to beef up security after ‘an intruder climbed a rehearsal studio wall’.
July 23: BBC boss Tim Davie breaks his silence on the ongoing allegations against Strictly, saying he was ‘deeply sorry’, adding: “Hundreds of people, whether they were professionals, contestants or crew, took part in it and had a brilliant experience.
“At the same time, if someone thinks something is wrong or wants to talk about their experience, of course we want them to raise it with us. Don’t doubt that we will take it seriously, listen and deal with it as appropriate.”
July 24: Strictly 2023 star Krishnan Guru-Murthy gives an interview to Amanda Abbington on Channel 4 News, where she claims she was bullied, with some of the ‘humiliation being of a sexual nature’.
July 27: Laura Whitmore releases a statement regarding her Strictly experience, saying “I thought my experience was specific to me, but I’ve since realized I was wrong”.
She adds that she is not part of the official complaint, but she, along with others, went to meet Amanda with the BBC.
July 28: Laila Rouass speaks out against allegations regarding Anton Du Beke, saying she “never felt pressure” from him and that she “personally insisted on six to seven hours of training a day”.
August 10: Graziano breaks his silence on his Strictly axe, saying “these vile, false allegations have ruined my life.”
He also told about the “shocking” end of his friendship with Zara McDermott.
We also revealed that Amanda Abbington has also been auditioned for a second time as Strictly execs have hired 15 new staff to cover rehearsals.
August 11: Just when the investigation was expected to be over, Amanda made a dramatic intervention. Giovanni was on the verge of release until Amanda delivered more text messages.
August 24: Graziano Di Prima has called in top lawyers to sue the BBC and try to clear his name. He recruited Whitestone Chambers big hitters to fight his corner.
A source said: “They have also looked at his contract with the BBC and believe there are grounds for a claim.”
Meanwhile, the BBC has also delayed publication of the findings of the Giovanni Pernice investigation. The Sun revealed that the results of the three-month investigation are unlikely to be released in August.
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