Most shocking Giovanni Pernice and Amanda Abbington revelations in bombshell Strictly report

Giovanni Pernice claimed victory in the Strictly Come Dancing ­bullying claims probe on Sunday night, with the Italian professional dancer revealing that he felt 'vindicated' after months of controversy.

On Sunday night, the professional dancer, who worked on the BBC show for almost a decade before quitting, broke his silence after being cleared of allegations made against him on Strictly. The Italian dancer took to social media to say he is glad "it's over". Sharing a clip on Instagram, the 34-year-old star admitted the last six or seven months had been tough as he was unable to respond "because I wanted to keep the confidentiality and privacy of the review".

Giovanni told his followers: "It was difficult because, you know, reading stuff that were untrue, wasn’t the nicest time of my life lets be honest. But today I'm happy because, you know, at the beginning there were very very serious allegations thrown out at me but as in today, none of the serious allegations have been upheld. All the threatening, abusive, harassment behaviour allegations have not been upheld."

"I appreciate that dancing is a very difficult thing to do," he went on. "It’s a, it’s erm, it’s a sport, it’s something that is difficult in every possible way and sometimes you get frustrated, you know, as a teacher, as a dancer, as a performer. But the only reason why you get frustrated is because you care about what you do."

In the lengthy statement, he added he cares about getting the "best out of my partner" while admitting he sometimes does get "frustrated". However, he said his behaviour is called "being professional" and insisted he loves doing that. "You know even now with Bianca, I get frustrated," he continued. "I think it’s a normal thing but then you get out the best and the results come forward. But I'm happy because none of this serious allegation has been upheld."

After six months of investigating Amanda Abbington's claims, bosses ruled the Italian dancer was not physically abusive. However, Amanda's complaints about verbal bullying and harassment were upheld.

Out of a total of 16 allegations against Pernice, six were upheld. Some of those included Giovanni using swear words. The report said the dancer's language could be 'belittling' towards his partner. Following the report findings, the BBC apologised to former contestant Amanda Abbington, confirming it had upheld “some, but not all, of the complaints made”.

Here, we look at some of the most shocking moments in the report....

Volatile and 'belittling' swearing

Among the upheld complaints were claims of “isolated incidents where Giovanni swore or threw his hands in the air”.

The review said “he was swearing and using what could be described as belittling language.” This amounted to bullying ­behaviour, it added. Another complaint upheld was that Giovanni, 34, was using “too much negative feedback”.

Crotch-grabbing a lewd remarks

One told how he grabbed his crotch and uttered a lewd remark, and also told his dance partner that he “wanted to f*** her”. But a source close to Giovanni claimed: “This was all done in jest and perceived in this way by Amanda. They were intended as jokes and compliments of her dancing style. Her language could be just as course back.”

Cleared of physical abuse

Giovanni was however was cleared of threatening, abusive and physical behaviour. A source close to Amanda said: “Any ­findings of workplace misconduct by an internal ­investigation is pretty extraordinary. It really says ­something, and was deemed serious enough to ­apologise. It also shows up his teaching methods which he has so publicly said was beyond criticism. Giovanni certainly hasn’t been cleared as he would like to portray.”

Amanda supported by Strictly stars

The source noted that Amanda’s version of events was backed by other people, adding: “This is ­corroborated by a number of different people, ex-contestants, dancers, choreographers. It is not an insignificant number of people who have supported her. She is relieved as many thought it would be a massive fudge. A lot of people thought it shouldn’t be an internal investigation at all but given to an external body to consider.”

Amanda labelled a 'liar'

Amanda told how in the year since she made the complaints she has been accused of accused of “being a liar, a ­troublemaker and of being ‘mad and unstable’”. She added: “I’ve also received rape and murder threats. My family and children have been subjected to threats and intimidation.

“Despite this vile abuse, I’ve never regretted coming forward, and today’s apology from the BBC is a vindication of my complaint. It’s also a vindication for the others who have contacted me to express concerns about their own ­experiences on Strictly.

"I hope those who have felt unable to speak out will now be more confident that they will be believed. The BBC has invited me to meet with senior management and this is something I will now be considering. This apology means a great deal to me. So too does the fact that the BBC have acknowledged the steps that were put in place to support and protect me and past contestants were “not enough”.

“What matters most is that lessons have been learned and the BBC makes the promised changes, to ensure others don’t experience the same ordeal.”

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