Amanda Abbington is taking daily “guidance” from her lawyer over her ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ bullying complaint.
Amanda Abbington is taking daily ‘guidance’ from her lawyer over her ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ bullying complaint
The ‘Sherlock’ actress, 50, sparked a scandal for the BBC ballroom show when she alleged her professional dancer partner Giovanni Pernice, 34, targeted her with abuse during rehearsals – and made a sexual gesture to her backstage.
She got an apology this week from BBC bosses after they concluded a review into the Italian’s conduct, but in her first interview since the findings were published Amanda suggested she was considering further legal action.
Amanda told Newsnight host Victoria Derbyshire she was “taking guidance from my lawyer on a day to day basis” when asked how she will proceed now the report’s findings have been released.
She added: “There’s a 30-page report that me and my lawyers are still digesting. There are still things in there that are unresolved.”
The actor added she had a tearful summit with other former ‘Strictly’ contestants who had previously been coupled with Giovanni.
Amanda said she first raised concerns about the dance pro after “three or four days” on show, and said she invited the unnamed contestants to her house where they “all cried” and “burst into tears”.
She went on: “We just wanted to make sure that we weren’t on our own and thinking this had just happened to us.
“Everyone I spoke to all said the same thing – it wasn’t pleasant and it wasn’t what everyone else was going through in the other (rehearsal) rooms.”
The actress also said she lost “all sense of reality” while rehearsing with the dancer on last year’s ‘Strictly’ – adding: “It has been one of the worst years of my life. I have been through a lot. Women go through a lot.
“I have had to deal with a myriad of horrible things that have continued to happen just for complaining.”
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