Amanda Abbington says Strictly case is ‘unresolved’ as she considers lawsuit

Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Amanda Abbington has not ruled out taking legal action against the BBC after some of her complaints against dance partner Giovanni Pernice were upheld in a review.

The Sherlock actress, who pulled out of the BBC One show last year citing “personal reasons”, later claimed she was subject to a “toxic environment” and “inappropriate, mean, nasty bullying”.

A BBC review published this week “upheld some, but not all, of the complaints made” against professional dancer Pernice.

Appearing on BBC Newsnight, Abbington said: “There’s a 30-page report that me and my lawyers are still digesting.

“There are still things in there that are unresolved.”

Abbington claimed there was a “significant reason” that some of the allegations against Pernice were not upheld, and that her team will be “investigating that further”.

Asked if she is considering bringing a lawsuit against the BBC, the 50-year-old said: “I’m taking guidance from my lawyer, who has just been so amazing throughout this whole thing.

“She’s been the driving force and has helped me, because there’s been times when I’ve just thought ‘Is this worth it?’

“I’m taking advice from her, and on a day-to-day basis.”

Abbington said there has been “a lot of misinformation” following the publication of the BBC report, which appeared to diminish the seriousness of the case.

“What has been said at the moment out there is just not true,” she said. “There were some very serious things that went on, and they were upheld by the BBC.

“There were breaches of all the codes of conduct within the organisation.”

The BBC previously apologised to Abbington and thanked her for coming forward.

“At the time, although the production team took steps to address the issues as they understood them, ultimately these were not enough. This is why the measures we have taken to further strengthen our existing protocols are so important,” the BBC said.

A spokesman for Pernice said: “It’s disappointing that Ms Abbington would knowingly mislead the outcome of the report in order to further attempt to damage Giovanni’s reputation.

“While Ms Abbington may not like the outcome of the six-month investigation, she should not seek to spread false and defamatory claims.”

Pernice has always denied the allegations.

Since making the complaints, Abbington said she has had many women thanking her for being “brave enough to stand up and complain about something that was affecting me in a work situation”.

“I’ve had so many women come up to me and just say ‘Can I give you a hug’,” she said.

“I love Strictly. I never wanted to cause trouble. I never wanted to bring down a show or ruin anybody’s career,” she said.

“I experienced something that was deeply upsetting over a prolonged period of time and asked that it could not happen anymore.”

The investigation into Abbington’s complaints about Pernice was launched earlier this year.

Representatives for the BBC have been contacted for comment.