Amanda Abbington gives first interview after Giovanni Pernice Strictly report

The BBC probe into Amanda Abbington's claims about Giovanni Pernice is now over.

Amanda Abbington has made claims about Giovanni Pernice 's behaviour during their lone Strictly Come Dancing rehearsals in her first interview since a report was published into her complaints to the BBC.

The actress, 50, made a shocking claim in the bombshell BBC interview. Abbington opened up on her torment on Newsnight and said she hadn't responded well to Giovanni's way of teaching. After Victoria Derbyshire asked the Sherlock star about the behaviour, Amanda detailed a complaint with a shaky voice: "Um, yeah. It was one of the allegations that was upheld. There were two allegations," she said before apologising for checking her 30-page probe report. "There were two allegations of inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature. They were upheld and one of them was physical and one was verbal."

A visibly shaken Amanda then confirmed that the other allegation was verbal before saying: "And they weren't isolated one-off incidents. They were over a period of seven weeks." The latest claims come after six of her 17 allegations against the Italian dancer were upheld following an internal investigation at the BBC, reports the MIrror.

Victoria read out Giovanni's past statement, adding that the Italian dancer had told Newnight: "We are unable to comment any further and the BBC has asked both parties to respect confidentially." Giovanni has previously strongly denied all of Amanda's past allegations.

In an Instagram post on Monday, after the results of the BBC probe were made public, Giovanni said: "It’s over, it’s finished, six months, seven months of all of this.Seven months of reading things every day in the newspaper and not being able to respond because I wanted to keep the confidentiality and privacy of the review, (it) was a difficult time.

"It was difficult because, you know, reading stuff that (was) untrue, wasn’t the nicest time of my life lets be honest. But today I’m happy because, at the beginning there were very, very serious allegations thrown out at me but today, none of the serious allegations have been upheld.

"All the threatening, abusive, harassment behaviour allegations have not been upheld. Today is a day when we can all reflect because, I appreciate that dancing is a very difficult thing to do. It’s a sport, it’s something that is difficult in every possible way and sometimes you get frustrated, as a teacher, as a dancer, as a performer. But the only reason why you get frustrated is because you care about what you do.

"You know as a professional, as a teacher, I want to get the best out of my partner, and sometimes I do get frustrated. I think everybody around the world does the same thing, it’s called being professional and I love doing that. You know even now with Bianca (Guaccero, his partner on the Italian equivalent of Strictly, Ballando con le Stelle), I get frustrated, I think it’s a normal thing, but then you get out the best and the results come forward."

The investigation uncovered moments of "inappropriate behaviour of sexual banter in the workplace" including an incident where Pernice made an improper signal in clear violation of the BBC codes. In reflecting on the BBCs proclamation, Amanda emphasised that her decision to come forward "was not an easy thing to do".

Meanwhile, the BBC asserted: "Strictly Come Dancing is a family show and we rightly expect very high standards. While competition can be tough, rigorous and demanding, we want the show to ultimately be a joyous and transformative experience. It is a great shame if this hasn't been the case for everyone who has appeared on the show. We have assessed the complaints and we have upheld some, but not all. 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."

A source reportedly close to Amanda said earlier this week : "Amanda is delighted and relieved, and feels her decision to speak out and complain has been rewarded. She hopes other celebrities might come forward now, safe in the knowledge they, too, will be listened to."

The source also told The Sun that Amanda "has been through hell" and "lost work" as a result of going public with her claims and is now "considering taking further" action against the BBC for damages and loss of earnings. They said that Abbington "suffered enormously" and has been diagnosed with PTSD, adding that she feels the BBC "breached its duty of care guidelines by not protecting her sooner".

The source said it's hard to "put a figure on how much she could expect" if things went her way, but it was speculated that the pay out could be up to £300,000. The source described the prospect as the the BBC's "worst nightmare" after a "costly investigation" and potential reputational damange for Strictly.

Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!

Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.

You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.

No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.

All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!

If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.

We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like.

To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.

If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

A representative for Giovanni said: "We are pleased this six-month review has not found any evidence of threatening or abusive behaviour. Giovanni is relieved that the overwhelming majority of allegations put to the BBC have not been upheld and looks forward to continuing his work on Dancing With The Stars in Italy this season."

Giovanni also shared a statement on his Instagram page saying he was pleased the investigation was now over. The post was liked by his former Strictly co-star, Lauren Oakley.

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond.Sign up to our daily newsletter.

Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.