Giovanni Pernice is still poisoning Strictly

It’s been almost a month since the BBC concluded its investigation into the above strictly professional Giovanni Pernice for his alleged abusive behavior towards former dance partner Amanda Abbington. While the specifics of the allegations are being withheld, of the 17 allegations made against him, six were upheld – for verbal harassment and stalking – but he was cleared of the more serious allegations of physical assault. Given the murky details of what did and didn’t happen in the rehearsal rooms, her eventual vindication tour was inevitable, wasn’t it?

And just in time, yesterday the first strictly professional did interviews on ITV’s Lorraine and the Daily Mail Not surprisingly, but what I didn’t expect was how self-aggrandizing and unapologetic it would be.

Adapted and booted, just survived another week in the Italian version of strictly where he is now one of the pros, he was outspoken and defensive on the ITV morning show. “Bully is an important word and there is a difference between being a bully and caring about what you do,” he told Lampard, adding that the BBC’s investigation into his behavior towards former partner Amanda Abbington “I wasn’t found by a stalker, which is exactly why I’m relieved now.” That’s not exactly true – the BBC investigation upheld the complaint of “verbal bullying” – but why let the truth get in the way of a good redemption story?

Abbington’s lawyers have since released a statement, accusing Pernice of “gassing” her and announcing plans to meet BBC bosses to discuss how “the investigation into the your complaint”.

When asked if we wanted to apologize to Abbington, he replied: “I think we’ll have a nice cup of tea and talk and talk about what happened in that room. It’s very difficult, because everything was perfect at the time.” The BBC apologized to the actor following the conclusion of its investigation.

We will probably never know all that happened between Pernice and Abbington, the details hidden in a report that may never see the light of day. One thing is certain, though: the longer the depressing battle between Pernice and Abbington drags on, the more strictly – to which Pernice has also hinted that he would like to return one day – he will fight to get rid of the scandal.

Each Saturday, this year’s cohort of celebrities and their professional partners must tread the hallowed boards of an entirely different series. His rehearsals are (correctly) accompanied by the production staff, his every move scrutinized; just look at the furor over Katya and Wynne’s apparent “joke” last week. Strictly speaking, once a source of family fun, it has become a hotbed of anxiety that something will go wrong.

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Arguably, this happened long before Abbington accused Pernice of abuse. the dreaded strictly The curse was catnip for the gossip-loving onlookers, who gleefully watched every hand placement and longing glance. But aside from Katya Jones and Seann Walsh’s infamous extramarital snog, the idea that a pair of dancers can fall in love (and many live happily ever after) has always been a reason to tune in, not tune out.

Allegations of behind-the-scenes misconduct are an entirely different matter. There’s no way to gloss over the fact that celebrities who dedicate their winters to our entertainment, with the added incentive of self-promotion and a payday, can be unhappy behind the scenes. Sure, it takes effort and dedication to turn a novice dancer into someone who can work their way through an American Smooth in just a week, but no one, least of all viewers, wants celebrities to suffer.

However, Pernice maintains his “strict” training regime and has said he “wouldn’t change” the way he teaches his teammates. If that’s the case, there’s no going back strictly – There will always be a question mark over your methods, dragging the whole program down with it.

everybody wants strictly to prosper But for that to happen, Pernice needs to show even a modicum of remorse. Better yet, he should simply slip into obscurity and never talk about the series that made him famous again.