FIGHTING BACK
Amanda Abbington’s furious fiance hits out after Giovanni Pernice issued statement on Strictly ‘abuse’ claims
Giovanni took a swipe at Amanda on stage at a recent show
AMANDA Abbington's fiancé has hit back at Giovanni Pernice after the Strictly star released a statement following her tearful interview.
Actress Amanda broke down in tears as she recounted her Strictly experience in a sit sown chat with her Strictly co-star Krishnan Guru-Murthy for Channel 4.
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During the emotional conversation she accused Giovanni of bullying her and claimed some of it was sexual in nature.
Responding to the 45 minute interview, a spokesman for Giovanni said: "We would urge people to wait for the review's conclusion and not to pay heed to these very serious and defamatory allegations that have no evidence in support of them."
It comes after Giovanni seemingly referred to Amanda as a "mad woman" while on stage at The Lowry, Salford, earlier this week.
He told the crowd: "Oh, I will be back, don't you worry. Let's see what this mad woman has got to say next."
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Now Amanda's fiancé Jonathan Goodwin has broken his silence to rubbish claims his partner's work ethic was to blame for her departure from the show.
He told the Mail: "If you watch the dances she did, tell me that's a person that's not putting in 100 per cent effort. So it's not about that.
"What happened is she left a game show because she didn't like the way she was being treated and that's it. That's what she did.
"How she was treated – and she's said this herself – was not great in ways that I can't go into. But it's not about strict or militant training."
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Amanda admitted that she could not go into the full details about the nature of what she allegedly suffered as it is still under investigation.
But she did claim six other people came forward to say they'd had a similar experience to her.
Shaking Amanda Abbington says being first Strictly whistleblower has been 'brutal and unforgiving' as she breaks down in tears on Channel 4 News
Amanda said: “If it had just been me coming out saying all this stuff, I can understand why people go, ‘Oh God’, but there were five or six other people previously to me who had the same experience.”
The Sherlock star broke her silence on her allegations against Gio last week in an exclusive interview with The Sun on Sunday.
She said: "I found Giovanni’s behaviour unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean. I couldn’t sit back and let him do that to other people.
“I had to think long and hard about making a complaint because I knew the backlash I would get. But I would not have been able to live with myself for future people going on that show.
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“I know what happened in that room, it’s on video and I have no problem with anyone seeing that. It’s a duty of care that is needed."
Last night she grew tearful recollecting the horrific backlash she'd received from Giovanni's fans which included death and rape threats against her and her family.
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.
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: 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."