‘Abs0lutely disgraceful’! ‘This Morning’ host faces fierce criticism as Giovanni Pernice interview sparks outrage.
This Morning Viewers Slam ‘Biased’ Giovanni Pernice Interview After Tense Craig Doyle Clash
This Morning presenters Craig Doyle and Christine Lampard have faced fierce criticism over their tense interview with former Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice.
The Italian dancer appeared on Tuesday’s programme to promote his new memoir, Taking The Lead, but the conversation quickly turned to the controversy involving his former celebrity partner Amanda Abbington.
Some viewers accused Craig and Christine of “interrogating” Giovanni rather than allowing him to discuss his book, while others claimed the interview appeared biased towards Amanda.
Giovanni, 35, left Strictly after nine years following a BBC investigation into complaints about his conduct during his 2023 partnership with the Sherlock actress.
His memoir addresses the investigation and his anger over how he believes the broadcaster handled the situation. However, Giovanni insisted that the book was not written simply to revive the controversy.
Craig Doyle challenges Giovanni over memoir
Craig, 55, acknowledged that Giovanni wanted to give his version of events but appeared determined to ensure Amanda’s perspective was not ignored.
The presenter questioned how Giovanni could claim to be moving forward while including details of the dispute in his memoir.
“It’s hard to move on when you put something like that in the book though,” Craig said.
Giovanni pushed back, explaining that the investigation was only one part of a book covering his wider life and career.
“It’s the story of my life,” he said. “It’s not a book dedicated to the investigation.”
The dancer said one purpose of the memoir was to thank the people who had supported him throughout his career.
He also argued that writing down his account meant he would not need to give repeated interviews about the same subject.
“I played by the rules,” Giovanni said. “I waited until after the investigation finished. It’s a part of my memoir, it’s a part of my life.”
Craig then suggested that the controversy was the section of the book most likely to secure newspaper serialisation and television appearances.
“But it’s the part of the memoir that gets it serialised and you on sofas,” he replied.
A visibly frustrated Giovanni insisted that his intention when writing Taking The Lead had not been to secure an appearance on This Morning.
Viewers accuse presenters of being too harsh
The exchange divided those watching at home, with several viewers taking to X to criticise the interview.
One described the conversation as “uncomfortable viewing” and claimed the presenters appeared clearly biased towards Amanda.
Another questioned why Giovanni was being treated so harshly when he had appeared on the programme to promote his book.
A third viewer said they had been “shouting at the telly” and believed Craig’s questioning was unfair.
Christine also faced criticism despite Craig leading the most confrontational exchanges. One viewer objected to her facial expressions, tone and body language during the interview.
The comments represented the opinions of individual viewers. The presenters did not publicly respond to the accusations of bias during the programme.
BBC upheld six complaints
Amanda, 53, was partnered with Giovanni during the 2023 series of Strictly but withdrew from the competition after several weeks.
She later said she had experienced PTSD and made allegations of bullying and harassment against the professional dancer.
Giovanni denied the allegations.
The BBC subsequently examined 16 complaints. Six were upheld, while Giovanni was cleared of the 10 most serious allegations.
The investigation did not find that Giovanni had been physically abusive. However, complaints relating to verbal bullying and harassment were upheld, and the BBC apologised to Amanda after completing its review.
Giovanni’s memoir now gives his perspective on a dispute that has followed him since his departure from Strictly.
Yet after Tuesday’s tense encounter, the interview itself became almost as much of a talking point as the book he had arrived to promote.
