BBC Apologizes to Amanda Abbington After Review of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ Star’s Bullying

The BBC has concluded its review into ex-professional dancer Giovanni Pernice on its beloved reality dance show Strictly Come Dancing after actress Amanda Abbington accused him of “mean and abusive” behavior.

The show — which operates on the same premise as the U.S. show Dancing With the Stars — is a staple of British television, but the broadcaster unveiled new welfare precautions in July after complaints were made about two dancers, including Pernice.

Graziano Di Prima also left the program when an Instagram statement from reality star Zara McDermott, who was assigned Di Prima as her dance partner in last year’s series, said watching videos of her time on the show was “incredibly distressing.” Di Prima apologized and said he “deeply regrets” his actions. “My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime,” the 30-year-old Italian added. Pernice, meanwhile, has refuted the claims against him, telling supporters: “I will be back.”

Abbington was subject to vast swathes of online abuse from Pernice’s fans when she decided to speak out about her behind-the-scenes treatment.

The BBC said in a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter after concluding its review Monday: “We take any allegations of bullying and harassment very seriously and this review has taken time due to its complex nature and our desire to ensure a rigorous and robust process was undertaken.”

“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.”

The channel added that the complaints have been assessed and some, but not all, have been upheld. “We want to apologize 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.” BBC News reported that while complaints of verbal bullying and harassment were upheld, claims of physical aggression were not.

The corporation said that though the production team “took steps to address the issues as they understood them, ultimately these were not enough.”

The new duty of care measures include a production team member present during training room reharsals at all times; two new roles on the show dedicated to welfare support — a Celebrity Welfare Producer and a Professional Dancer Welfare Producer — and additional training for the dancers, team, and crew.

In addition, the BBC introduced 15 training room observers in place for rehearsals. They complete daily training logs, including covering breaks, warm-ups and rest periods.

Every celebrity and professional dancer is offered a preseries psychological review, among other changes. “We will always look at whether there is more we should do,” the statement added.