Strictly Come Dancing bullying allegations and settlement

The controversy began following allegations by actress Amanda Abbington regarding a “toxic environment” created by professional dancer Giovanni Pernice during the 2023 series of Strictly Come Dancing. An internal BBC review upheld complaints regarding Pernice’s conduct, describing his language as “belittling, dismissive, and insulting,” though it found no evidence of physical aggression.

Abbington, who was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), reached an out-of-court settlement with BBC Studios. The five-figure sum, which included legal fee contributions, was provided by BBC Studios rather than the license fee. In response to the investigation, the BBC introduced new welfare measures, such as chaperones during rehearsals.

In subsequent developments, Pernice released a book, ‘Gio: My Story’, in which he accused the BBC of failing to provide adequate psychological safeguards or assessments for contestants. He defended his rehearsal methods as a rigorous approach similar to a personal trainer and noted that the allegations had severely impacted his own mental health.