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2nd October 2024
10:10am BST
Presenter Laura Whitmore has broken her silence on the Giovanni Pernice abuse allegations.
The Irish broadcaster was paired up with the Italian dancer during her time on Strictly Come Dancing in 2016.
Whitmore previously accused the dancer of gaslighting her when they worked together.
Speaking about the results of the BBC's review into Amanda Abbington's allegations, Whitmore said complaints were upheld.
"I hope this helps people realise they should not be subjected to abusive behaviour in the workplace.
"Things can be twisted online and there’s so much more to this but in black and white there were complaints upheld and an apology made. And the perpetrator no longer works for the channel," Whitmore said.
Whitmore said she tried to speak out about Pernice's behaviour eight years ago, but things were different back then.
"The stuff I’m not going to talk to you about now, because it’s under review, that’s all coming out now, the stuff I tried to speak about eight years ago," she told The Irish Post.
Speaking about his questionable behaviour, Whitmore said she was "gaslit to make it seem normalised".
The mum admitted she was relieved because the industry has changed for women and it's possible to pull "people up on things".
The BBC issued an apology to Amanda Abbington who claimed she was suffering from PTSD after working with Pernice.
The BBC upheld some complaints including verbal bullying and harassment, but not physical aggression.
“We want to apologise to Amanda Abbington and to thank her for coming forward and taking part. We know this would not have been an easy thing to do," the broadcaster shared.
Pernice said he felt relieved now that the review was completed.
He told his supporters that he gets frustrated as a dancer and teacher, but feels like that is a "normal thing".
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