Strictly star Giovanni Pernice says he lost all his friends in the aftermath of the Amanda Abbington allegations, saying: “Nobody wanted to be seen with me.”
Speaking on the first night of his tour on Monday night in High Wycombe, Giovanni says how everyone shunned him – leaving him heartbroken. “I felt like the world collapsed….I didn’t have anybody around me,” he said. “All the people that were supposed to be my friend disappeared.”
He says how he “felt alone”, adding: “Nobody wanted to see me, they were like ‘oh you can’t be with him’.
Giovanni had been accused of being a bully by his dance partner. An internal BBC investigation later upheld six of 17 complaints against him but not those of physical aggression. Before the allegations, Gio said he felt “like I was on the top of my game.” He says: “I was untouchable, was a superhero….but fate did have different plans for me.”
At War: Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice on Strictly It Takes Two (
Image:
BBC)
But he says how he got through the ordeal by remaining positive. “I always had a voice in my head, saying ‘don’t worry….we know that all of this is going to finish. One day you’ll be back on top and you will feel again.” He says how he took great solace in his musical “idol”.
He added: “There was always one voice. My idol here, Freddie (Mercury ). He would say to me, ‘Giovanni , don’t worry. Whatever happen. Remember the show has to go on.’
The Italian professional, 34, has previously insisted he was merely a “strict teacher” but was never a bully to the Sherlock star, 50.
He added at the end of last year: “Bully is a big word and there’s a difference between being a bully and caring about what you do. “I’m glad 11 allegations have been thrown out. At the beginning there were very serious allegations, for instance threatening her or abusing her, and all of this has been taken out.
“I’m a strict teacher. I said it myself. I care about my job. I’m very competitive.”
Amanda has since 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’”.
Tearful: Amanda Abbington (
Image:
ITV News)
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.”
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