Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice's ex Strictly partners 'all cried' after meeting

Amanda Abbington has spoken out about the emotional meeting she had with Giovanni Pernice's former dance partners, revealing they "cried" as they shared their experiences.

The actress, 50, recently received the outcome of the BBC's internal investigation into her allegations of abuse against Pernice, her former Strictly Come Dancing partner. The BBC upheld six of the 17 claims, including verbal bullying and harassment, but cleared Pernice of threatening and abusive behaviour.

Amanda expressed her relief and vindication, stating she has "no regrets" about coming forward despite enduring "one of the worst years" of her life. In an interview with BBC's Victoria Derbyshire on Newsnight, Amanda recounted how she met with several of Pernice's former dance partners, who shared similar experiences.

The meeting was arranged through mutual friends, and Amanda invited the women to her home. "We just wanted to make sure we weren't on our own thinking this had only happened to us because we all have said the same thing," she explained, highlighting the emotional toll of their shared experiences.

Addressing her distressing experience, Amanda disclosed: "It wasn't pleasant, it wasn't what the others were going through in other rooms. We wanted to connect with each other.", reports the Mirror.

Recollecting the emotionally charged reunion with his ex-partners, she recounted how they "cried and burst into tears."

Amanda divulged further: "We all said the same thing, it was managing a room and having to look after our own mental and physical well-being within that room."

Commenting on the extensive investigation's conclusion, Amanda observed: "It's nice. It's a relief that they've apologised."

She proceeded to reveal that a considerable number of her complaints received validation; however, she noted a "significant reason" behind this affirmation, affirming that her advisors are delving deeper into the issue.

Queried about the reasons for the complaints being upheld, Amanda informed Derbyshire that specifics were not something she could divulge at the moment. Expanding on the situation, she clarified: "What's been said at the moment out there is just not true. There were some very serious things that went on and they were upheld by the BBC. There were breaches off all the codes of conduct."

Reflecting on her experiences during rehearsals, Amanda described them as an "ongoing litany of being verbally abused" by Giovanni and mentioned enduring a 35-minute "rant" that included name-calling.

Nonetheless, Amanda asserted that she remains "open to criticism" and is not one to "doesn't make problems or trouble where there isn't any".

Amanda Abbington has opened up about her concerns during her stint on Strictly Come Dancing, revealing she voiced her unease to producers "after about three or four days of being in the rehearsal room". She was told they were sorry and would keep an eye on the situation.

"I think the cameras went in quite soon after that," Amanda added, highlighting that this was not a one-off event and had occurred with other contestants previously.

The identity of Giovanni Pernice's partners whom Amanda might have spoken to remains a mystery, but several have stepped forward to share their experiences. Laura Whitmore, ex-host of Love Island, is among those who reported "inappropriate" behaviour to the BBC.