Giovanni Pernice reveals exactly what he said the last time he spoke to Amanda Abbington before Strictly bullying probe
GIOVANNI Pernice has revealed the last words that he spoke to Amanda Abbington after their bitter fallout amid a Strictly bullying probe.
Giovanni, 34, also retaliated to a string of claims made in his first interview since the BBC released its findings.
Sherlock star Amanda, 50, quit Strictly Come Dancing last year and later made a formal complaint about 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 since revealed their rehearsals got so bad she was relieved when the cancer scare meant that she could quit.
Giovanni has now recalled the moment Amanda told him about her health scare during their final rehearsal together.
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He insisted he immediately contacted a doctor to arrange a scan, and said that was the last time that they ever spoke.
The ballroom dancer told : "Amanda told me that she couldn't concentrate because while she was having a shower she had found two lumps.
"I said, 'Please tell me it's nothing serious,' and the first thing I did was call my doctor and tried to organise for her to have a scan right away."
Also in the interview the Sicilian denied making sexual remarks during rehearsals, but conceded that they had "very rude banter".
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He recalled: "Amanda was a laugh, we were making each other laugh. She would say very bad things, like the c-word. She would use it.
"In actual fact, the production staff came to us and said, 'We have noticed that you call each other that word, is it ok?'
"And she was like, 'Oh yeah it's fine, I call him that! It's absolutely fine, I started it', those were her words. And I was like, 'Yes guys, we are fine, we are joking like this.
"She's the person who would start the joke. She would tell a dark joke.
"That was the banter we had from the beginning, very rude banter."
He addressed Amanda's claim that he had said to her: "You're a 51-year-old menopausal woman but I'd still f*** you," which the investigation did not and find evidence of.
Giovanni said he was bewildered by Amanda's claim, adding: "I had to ask my agent what the menopause means."
The pro dancer realised Amanda wasn't enjoying rehearsals after their co-star alerted him to her frustrations after just one week.
He said he was concerned she might misrepresent their time together - and 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 centre of a five-month bullying storm and escalating crisis.
The BBC last month cleared him of ten of the 16 allegations made against him by Amanda.
The Beeb also apologised to Amanda as she revealed her experience with him was “morbid and toxic";.
Amanda then conducted a number of interviews on high-profile platforms like Newsnight, Channel 4 News and The Sun.
Recalling her interviews, Giovanni said he was left constantly crying and distraught, and the claims devastated his family.
He said: "I rang my parents up crying. They are the closest people to me. They were asked if their son was a bully.
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"Everyone got upset, that made me upset. There were so many tears of frustration and sadness.";
Giovanni is set speak out again on Lorraine Kelly's daytime chat show on Tuesday morning.
Strictly's full scandal so far
Strictly Come Dancing's scandal has been growing over the past few months, with several major players speaking out about what went on. Here are the key moments of what's happened so far
16th May: Giovanni Pernice sensationally quits Strictly Come Dancing after nine years on the show.
17th May: Giovanni becomes the centre of an official investigation after three former partners – believed to be Amanda Abbington, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh – make complaints to the BBC.
16th June: Giovanni releases an official statement vowing to clear his name and denies any wrongdoing.
8th July: Strictly confirms Aljaz Skorjanec will return to the series, replacing Giovanni, after initially quitting the show two years ago.
10th July: Amanda Abbington launches fresh legal proceedings to get the rehearsal footage from her time with Giovanni, after allegedly he refused to release the videos.
13th July: Graziano Di Prima is axed from Strictly for "gross misconduct" after footage of his treatment of Zara McDermott is brought to the attention of the BBC.
Graziano quickly broke his silence, apologising for his behaviour in a statement and saying he "deeply regrets it", adding his "intense passion and determination to win might have affected his training regime."
15th July: Strictly bosses implement new duty of care protocols, including having a chaperone present throughout all rehearsals.
16th July: Zara McDermott speaks out publicly for first time. She states while the production team were "amazing to work with", she found the rehearsal room "completely different", confirming there's footage of "certain situations".
19th July: Anton Du Beke is put under the spotlight for his "1970s attitude" and treatment of female celeb stars, particularly after allegedly referring to 2009 partner Laila Rouass as a "p***" after getting a spray tan.
21st July: Paralympian Will Bayley, who has limb condition arthrogryposis, revealed he was encouraged to leap from a table during a dance routine, despite fears. The stunt caused an injury that forced him to withdraw from the show.
22nd July: MasterChef's Gregg Wallace admits he broke down in tears and got a nasty stress rash on his face during his time on Strictly in 2014.
22nd July: Despite ongoing issues, the Strictly professional cast begin rehearsals for this year's series.
23rd July: Celebrity agent Melanie Blake claims she was sexually assaulted by an unnamed pro dancer while backstage on the show, and claims she witnessed ageism, rudeness and a rough treatment to the point of injury.
23rd July: Strictly is forced to beef up security after 'an intruder scales the wall of the rehearsal studio'.
23rd July: BBC boss Tim Davie breaks his silence on the ongoing allegations against Strictly, saying he is 'deeply sorry', adding: "Hundreds of people, be they pros, contestants or crew have been part of it and had a brilliant experience.
"At the same time if someone thinks there was something wrong or they want to talk about their experience then of course we want them to raise that with us. Be in no doubt we will take it seriously, listen and deal with it as appropriate."
24th July: Strictly 2023 star Krishnan Guru-Murthy holds a bombshell interview with Amanda Abbington on Channel 4 news, where she claims she was bullied, with some of the 'humilation being of a sexual nature'.
27th July: Laura Whitmore releases a statement regarding her Strictly experience, saying "I thought my experience was specific to me but I’ve since learned I was wrong".
She adds she is not part of the official complaint, but has come forward to support Amanda with the BBC, alongside others.
28th July: Laila Rouass speaks out against the accusations regarding Anton Du Beke, saying she "never felt pressured" by him and "personally insisted on six to seven hours training a day".
10th August: Graziano breaks his silence on his Strictly axe, saying "these vile, false allegations have ruined my life."
He also told of the "shocking" end to his friendship with Zara McDermott.
We also revealed that Amanda Abbington was also quizzed for a second time as Strictly execs recruited 15 new staff to monitor rehearsals.
11th August: Just as the investigation was expected to conclude, Amanda made a dramatic intervention. Giovanni was on the brink of being cleared until Amanda handed in more text messages.
24th August: Graziano Di Prima called in top lawyers to sue the BBC and to try to clear his name. He recruited big hitters Whitestone Chambers to fight his corner.
A source said: "They’ve also looked at his BBC contract and believe there are grounds to sue."
Meanwhile, the BBC also delayed releasing the findings of the probe into Giovanni Pernice. The Sun revealed that the results of the three-month investigation were unlikely to be announced in August.