Giovanni Pernice receives boost in BBC investigation amid limited formal allegations

Strictly Come Dancing sensation Giovanni Pernice has received a significant lift in the ongoing BBC bullying row, according to exclusive details obtained by the Mirror.

Despite widespread rumours that stars like Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh were poised to back Amanda Abbington's grievances against the BBC, it appears that only Abbington's allegations have been formally addressed to Giovanni following the investigation. This revelation implies either the BBC has dismissed any concerns regarding Giovanni's conduct towards other celebrities or that no formal complaints were actually submitted.

A source from the BBC disclosed: "The narrative - certainly from Amanda - is that there has been a tsunami of complainants to the BBC. But the truth of the matter is that Giovanni has only been asked for his response to Amanda's claims. This would suggest two things. One they haven't made a formal complaint in the first place. Or, two, the BBC felt it wasn't serious enough to warrant inclusion in their evidence dossier to put to Giovanni for response."

Abbington recently reiterated her stance on Channel 4 News, telling Krishnan Guru-Murthy: "I know a lot of people went in to speak to them. I'm the official complainer. I think there's about five or six (other complainants) from what I can gather, but there's three main people, who've made complaints, mine's the official one."

Amanda also hinted in a recent interview that the BBC and Giovanni were preventing her from accessing 50 hours of footage, stating that the dancer "doesn't want anyone to see". The Sherlock star alleges that this footage was captured by video cameras installed after she voiced concerns, reports the Mirror.

However, she claimed that access to the footage was being "blocked" and her lawyer was "not allowed it". She mentioned that her legal representative was "trying to get a lift on that" but "he [Pernice] doesn't want anyone to see it, which is quite telling if you've got nothing to hide".

On the other hand, sources from the BBC claim they have scrutinised the footage meticulously and the "reason they haven't supplied Amanda with the footage was because they were worried of it leaking". An insider stated they "wanted to preserve the integrity of the investigation".

A spokesperson for Giovanni responded: "We are cooperating fully with the BBC's review process. All parties have been asked to respect this process and to not speak to the media before it concludes. We will continue to respect the integrity of the investigation and believe it is the right forum for all the evidence to be reviewed."

"As part of the evidence-led review, the BBC has shared the allegations and there are none, nor any evidence, that resemble Amanda Abbington's numerous and variable allegations. Giovanni refutes any claim of threatening or abusive behaviour, and having provided the BBC with his evidence, is confident that the review will prove this."

Meanwhile, show judge Craig Revel Horwood expressed his astonishment at complaints about the dancers, stating: "The judges are never present at any of the teaching and we literally come in on a Saturday and judge what we see before us. We're kept very, very separate to the rest of the company, so for us it's complete news."

When questioned about his concerns over Strictly's future, he confidently added: "I don't think so. It's one of those shows that belongs in the people's hearts that are at home who love dancing. And there's nothing better than seeing someone come from nothing, work hard and move up to being absolutely phenomenal."