What Giovanni said to Amanda Abbington the day she quit Strictly over cancer scares – and why insiders now say her departure was “bizarre”, KATIE HIND reveals

When Amanda Abbington tearfully told Giovanni Pernice that she had found lumps in her breasts, he reacted like a perfect gentleman, his friends say.

The Italian dancer called his contacts and gave her numbers of doctors who had been recommended to him, it is said.

That was the last he ever heard from her. Because she later quit the ball competition and told Strictly bosses she feared she had cancer.

After describing her shocking health scare in a newspaper interview at the weekend, the ongoing saga of Abbington’s dramatic exit from Strictly last October – which everyone has heard many times before – was due to her “mistreatment” and “bullying” at rehearsals, which she left with PTSD – took a confusing turn.

“As far as everyone was concerned, Amanda left because she found some lumps in her breasts, which understandably left her worried that she might have cancer,” a BBC source said.

“Nobody wants to have to watch someone go through that and Amanda was treated very kindly. Gio was very worried and wanted to help her in any way he could.

“The next thing is she has post-traumatic stress disorder… the scenario has changed.” None of this made any sense. She said she left for a completely different medical reason. “The whole thing seemed bizarre to me.”

The five-month BBC investigation into Abbington’s allegations ended last week with a report upholding six of the 17 complaints she made against her 34-year-old dance partner. Then, in recent days, the 50-year-old Sherlock actress, who left the show in week six, revealed intimate details of her cancer scare and said it was the reason for her exit.

“My last week, on Thursday morning, I was in the shower and discovered two lumps. “After a mammogram a few months ago, I was given the all-clear,” she said.

After a particularly strenuous rehearsal, she said she then “went to the toilet, came back and said, ‘I’m going to the hospital because I discovered two lumps in my breast this morning’.” She told The Sun on Sunday, that leaving the rehearsal was “a healthier option than being in that room.”

To her relief, it later turned out that the lumps were harmless. Abbington’s early exit from Strictly came after weeks of tension between her and Pernice.

The five-month BBC investigation into Abbington’s allegations ended last week with a report upholding six of the 17 complaints she made against her 34-year-old dance partner

She says she raised problems with him to the BBC at the time and that cameras were installed in the studio – although neither of them agreed on their request.

Abbington also claims the BBC rebuffed her requests for camera footage that Pernice had allegedly asked for – another point of contention between the pair. Then, in April, after Abbington ordered London law firm Carter-Ruck to lodge a formal complaint, the BBC launched its own investigation.

It is understood Abbington will be represented on a voluntary basis.

During her Channel 4 interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy in July she hinted that she wanted compensation, and last week it was reported that she was considering legal action.

In fact, during her interview on Newsnight last week, she said she was carefully assessing her situation “day by day.” BBC insiders say the company is “not keen” on the idea of ​​a payout.

“Chances are Amanda will have a fight,” a source said. “The BBC has apologized and given her a platform to speak out on Newsnight.

“The BBC feels it has done her very well, but it will be interesting to see what she does next.”

Pernice has not yet commented on the saga, but on Saturday evening his spokeswoman issued a scathing statement on his behalf, accusing Abbington of misrepresenting the investigation’s findings.

She said: “The BBC completed its review almost a week ago.” It is deeply worrying that Ms Abbington appears intent on continually misrepresenting the review’s findings in television and newspaper interviews.

“Giovanni is concentrating on his job at Ballando con le Stelle.” [the Italian version of the show] and supports his partner Bianca and hopes that Ms Abbington can soon accept the results of the review and look to the future.”

Abbington gave an interview to Newsnight last week in which she said she was carefully assessing her situation “day by day”.

Friends of former Strictly professional Giovanni have pointed out that he and Abbington actually had a cheerful friendship

The six complaints confirmed in the investigation were mostly less serious complaints, including one occasion where Pernice told Abbington: “You have talent and you are not using it.”

It was also confirmed that he had used derogatory language.

Meanwhile, the ballroom star was also found guilty of giving negative feedback. An example of this was him throwing his arms in the air and saying “f***”. As a result, Pernice was told by the BBC that he had not adapted sufficiently to Abbington’s needs.

Of the two complaints of a sexual nature that were maintained, Pernice was seen grabbing his crotch and making a lewd remark. He also told his dance partner that he “wanted to fuck her.”

This comment came after Abbington pulled off a great move in the training gym and Pernice was thrilled.

Giovanni is said to be getting more and more angry that Abbington is throwing mud at him.

“He doesn’t know when it’s going to stop,” said a pal.

“We have no idea what she’s going to do next, it’s going to be absolutely ridiculous.”

Pernice’s frustrations are perhaps not surprising.

During Abbington’s newspaper interview she made further claims about Pernice which were not confirmed by the BBC investigation.

Friends of the Sicily-born star point to an instance in which Abbington claims he called her a “vegetable” to describe her as “lazy”, which they say she found particularly offensive given her fiancé has a disability .

The report accepted that it was not a form of bullying.

Instead, investigators accepted Pernice’s position that he used the term to describe her attitude – rather than to describe her as lazy.

“Gio told the report that he used the word vegetable in connection with Amanda’s weak arm positions. He also informed them that there was a language barrier. “The investigation has accepted this,” said a source close to Pernice.

The actress also said that Pernice would tell her she was a “menopausal woman and I would still fuck you.” In fact, sources close to him claim that Abbington describes herself as “a menopausal woman” – which was accepted by investigators in their 30-page report.

There was also no evidence to support the claim that these words [‘I’d f*** you’] “were used in conjunction with the statement that Abbington was, as claimed, a menopausal woman,” the review states.

“Gio is a man in his early 30s,” one tells me. “He probably wouldn’t even know what menopause is or what it means, let alone use it as an insult, but that’s how Amanda would describe herself to Gio.”

Friends of the former Strictly professional point out that he and Abbington actually had a cheerful friendship.

A friend said: “Contrary to what Amanda says now, the two of them laughed a lot together.”

“Unfortunately she now seems to have forgotten that and seems to want him to suffer and the BBC to pay for it.”