Amanda Abbington tells of toll of online threats amid Strictly controversy

admin admin | 07-25 08:15

Amanda Abbington has said she has been under pressure from "brutal, relentless and unforgiving" threats from fans of Strictly Come Dancing.

The Sherlock actress has previously made allegations about the teaching methods of her former Strictly Come Dancing professional dance partner, Giovanni Pernice, who has since left the BBC One show.

Pernice has strongly denied her allegations of "unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean" behaviour.

Abbington was interviewed by Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy, who was also a competitor on the same series of Strictly Come Dancing last year.

The actress, becoming tearful, said it has been "brutal, relentless and unforgiving", before clarifying that she was speaking about the "rape threats towards not only myself, but my daughter and the threats of death to my son" from fans of the show.

She said she wants to encourage people who feel "bullied" or are in a situation they feel is "toxic and unsafe" to complain, despite the backlash she has allegedly received.

She has claimed that there are 50 hours of video footage, from cameras she alleges were installed after she raised concerns during her first week of training.

Abbington alleges she experienced "bullying and aggressive behaviour".

The actress also alleges that producers were "shocked and horrified" after they viewed her training films, but says she is unable to provide more detail because of the ongoing BBC review of her complaint.

Abbington said that after leaving the show she had "several messages... from some of the producers" but then "didn't really hear from anybody again".

Asked if there was any after-care provided, she replied: "No, it would have been nice, I suppose."

Abbington also said she was not asked to come back for the final despite reports that she declined.

There has been a storm of negative stories about the culture on the BBC's flagship programme and the treatment of contestants.

On Tuesday, BBC director-general Tim Davie apologised to contestants who have had an experience that "hasn't been wholly positive" and maintained the show would return.

While presenting the BBC's annual report, Davie told journalists there will inevitably be "competitiveness, hard work and the will to do well" on the show, "but there are limits and the line should never be crossed".

He added: "We will never tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any kind."

Asked if he is confident the show will go ahead this series, he said: "I need to be assured we have the right safeguarding and duty of care in place, and that is the first question I ask.

"I am assured by the robust actions we have taken in terms of the changes we have made... that we are in a position to deliver a very good season this year and that has been my focus."

During her Channel 4 News interview, Abbington said she is "glad" Davie "acknowledged it".

Amanda Abbington and Krishnan Guru-Murthy were contestants on Strictly Come Dancing in 2023

She also said she loves Strictly and is "envious of the people who had a wonderful experience on that show".

"I'm so glad they did, and I feel really sad that I didn’t get to fulfil my journey," she added.

Rehearsals for the new series of Strictly began on Monday, and on Wednesday professionals were all smiles as they arrived to practise at a London dance studio.

On 16 July, the BBC said it would introduce measures to "strengthen welfare and support" on the show, including a chaperone who will be present "at all times" during training room rehearsals.

Abbington said in January she had been "diagnosed with mild PTSD" and had received death threats during her stint on the show.

She withdrew from the competition in week six citing "personal reasons" but gave no further detail until revealing she had made a complaint about the show this month.

Following the Channel 4 News interview, a BBC statement to the PA news agency said: "Anyone involved in a complaint has a right to confidentiality and fair process and therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further on individuals.

"However, when issues are raised with us, we always take them extremely seriously and have appropriate processes in place to manage this. As we have said before, we would urge people not to indulge in speculation.

"More generally, the BBC and BBC Studios takes duty of care extremely seriously. Our processes on Strictly Come Dancing are updated every year, they are kept under constant review and last week we announced additional steps to further strengthen welfare and support on the show."

A statement from a spokesperson for Giovanni Pernice to Channel 4 News said he is cooperating with the investigation and "believe it is the right forum for all the evidence to be reviewed".

They added: "As part of the evidence-led review, the BBC has shared the allegations they have been able to substantiate with us. They do not resemble Amanda's latest allegations, given to Channel 4, in any shape or form.

"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."

The full interview is available on Channel4.com and its YouTube channel.

Source: Press Association

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