Tertius News is an AI-native newsroom: an AI model reads the linked source articles below and extracts what each outlet reported, so you can compare their coverage side by side. How this works →
Amanda Abbington awarded five-figure sum by BBC over bullying allegations on Strictly
Amanda Abbington has reached a five-figure settlement with the BBC over bullying allegations against Giovanni Pernice. The settlement follows a 2024 review that upheld some but not all complaints, with Pernice denying allegations and detailing his own struggles in a memoir.
Amanda Abbington has reached a five-figure settlement with the BBC over bullying allegations she made about her time on Strictly Come Dancing. The settlement, an out-of-court agreement, was paid by BBC Studios, meaning the funds did not come from the licence fee, PA Media understands. The BBC declined to comment on the settlement, and representatives for Abbington were contacted for comment.
The settlement follows a review in 2024 after Abbington alleged her professional partner, Giovanni Pernice, had bullied and harassed her. The corporation made no findings of physical aggression in its review, but complaints of verbal bullying and harassment were upheld. The BBC apologised to Abbington after the review upheld 'some, but not all' of the allegations against Pernice. In September 2024 it said: "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."
Abbington left the celebrity dance show early, citing personal reasons, before alleging 'inappropriate behaviour'. Pernice rejected any claim of threatening or abusive behaviour and welcomed the conclusion of the review, which upheld some but not all of the complaints.
Abbington's response
Abbington spoke out after Pernice said he had suicidal thoughts over her bullying allegations. She told the Sun: "It's sad, though not surprising, that Giovanni is continuing down this route. He took part in the BBC investigation that made findings against him, following which the channel paid me compensation. He is grossly mischaracterising what happened to suit his own narrative, but I have no interest in engaging with that. My focus is on moving forward."
A friend of Abbington added: "Amanda will forever regard Giovanni as a monster. She stands by her allegations - she's not the only one who was a victim of his behaviour."
In October 2024, Abbington, who has appeared in BBC drama Sherlock, said she had not ruled out taking legal action against the corporation.
Pernice's account
In his memoir, Taking The Lead, Pernice wrote about his experience following the allegations. He claimed he was left a 'burnt-out shell' and battling deep depression. An extract serialised in the Daily Mail quotes him as writing: "Hunched on the sofa of my London flat, I scrolled through my phone as story after story brought bad news, plunging me deeper into depression. Is it worth it? I asked myself. What would happen if I wasn't here any more? Who would care?"
He described himself as being "on top of the world" months earlier, having won the Glitterball with Rose Ayling-Ellis in 2021. The pair also went on to receive a BAFTA for their work on the dancefloor.
Pernice claimed that Abbington "set the tone" for their relationship, describing moments of tension but saying there were never any arguments. He said he was instantly impressed with her efforts in rehearsals, claiming she sent him a thank-you message after their first session. He also claimed it became increasingly difficult to read "all the bile that was flowing in my direction" during the fallout.
He thanked his then-girlfriend Molly Brown, saying: "There were certainly times I would have killed myself if Molly hadn't been there."
Investigation details
The BBC investigated 16 allegations against Pernice; he was cleared on 10 counts while six were upheld. Former Met officers were brought in by BBC bosses to oversee evidence gathering and review footage and texts of rehearsals. Abbington accused Pernice of "unnecessary, cruel and abusive behaviour".
Pernice was absent from the Strictly professional lineup in 2024 and went on to join the Italian equivalent, Ballando Con Le Stelle, which he won with actor and singer Bianca Guaccero.
Following the review, the BBC introduced measures aimed at improving welfare on the show, including the introduction of a chaperone present "at all times" during training room rehearsals.
Strictly is preparing for its next series, which airs in September, with three new hosts - broadcaster Emma Willis, comedian Josh Widdicombe and former professional dancer Johannes Radebe - replacing Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. Celebrity contestants for the 2026 series include Dani Dyer-Bowen, Melanie Walters, Shaun Wright-Phillips, and Delta Goodrem.
How each outlet told it
Manchester Evening News
Framing: The headline highlights Pernice's admission of suicidal feelings, centering his perspective. — sympathetic to Pernice - the inclusion of his quotes about suicidal thoughts and the detailed description of his depression.
Facts Included:
Giovanni Pernice admitted feeling suicidal following allegations by Amanda Abbington.
Abbington competed three years ago, was 53, and Pernice was 35.
Abbington quit weeks in, alleging PTSD and accusing Giovanni of bullying and harassment.
Other celebrities came forward with allegations, which Giovanni denied.
Investigation into 16 allegations, cleared of 10, upheld six.
BBC issued apology to Abbington, who reportedly received a 'substantial financial settlement' last week.
Pernice quit Strictly and stepped away from public eye.
In memoir, claims Abbington 'set the tone' for their relationship.
Extract serialised in Daily Mail, he wrote about battling deep depression.
Quote from memoir: 'Hunched on the sofa of my London flat... I would end it all.'
Pernice described being 'on top of the world' after winning Glitterball with Rose Ayling-Ellis in 2021.
He claimed she called him 'k**b head' and they used the 'C' word in banter.
A BBC producer asked Amanda if she was OK with that, and she replied 'Yeah, of course. I started it.'
He described 'moments of tension' but no arguments.
He claimed she was not putting enough time into rehearsals.
Abbington accused him of 'unnecessary, cruel and abusive behaviour'.
He thanked Molly Brown: 'There were certainly times I would have killed myself if Molly hadn't been there.'
At least three celebrities instructed lawyers at Carter Ruck.
Former Met officers reviewed footage and messages.
Investigation upheld complaints of verbal bullying and harassment, not physical.
BBC apology statement.
Amanda's statement about being accused of being a liar, troublemaker, 'mad and unstable', and receiving rape and murder threats, and a bomb threat.
Framing: The headline emphasizes Abbington's response to Pernice's claims, framing it as a confrontation. — confrontational - 'Amanda will forever regard Giovanni as a monster' sets a hostile tone.
Facts Included:
Amanda Abbington spoke out after Giovanni Pernice said he had suicidal thoughts over her bullying allegations.
Abbington, 54, took part in Strictly in 2023 and was partnered with Pernice, 35.
Abbington quit weeks into the competition and later alleged PTSD, accusing Pernice of bullying and harassment.
Pernice denied all claims; BBC investigated 16 allegations, cleared him on 10 counts and upheld six.
BBC issued an apology to Abbington.
Pernice's memoir 'Taking The Lead' claims he was left a 'burnt-out shell' and battling deep depression.
Abbington's response to the Sun: 'It’s sad, though not surprising, that Giovanni is continuing down this route. He took part in the BBC investigation that made findings against him, following which the channel paid me compensation. He is grossly mischaracterising what happened to suit his own narrative, but I have no interest in engaging with that. My focus is on moving forward.'
A friend of Abbington added: 'Amanda will forever regard Giovanni as a monster. She stands by her allegations - she’s not the only one who was a victim of his behaviour.'
Pernice said he was instantly impressed with Abbington's efforts and claimed she sent a thank-you message after their first session.
Pernice described 'moments of tension' but said there were 'never any arguments'.
Abbington accused her partner of 'unnecessary, cruel and abusive behaviour'.
Pernice claimed it became 'increasingly difficult' to read 'all the bile that was flowing in my direction'.
Pernice thanked then-girlfriend Molly Brown, saying 'There were certainly times I would have killed myself if Molly hadn’t been there.'
Former Met officers were brought in to oversee evidence gathering and review footage and texts.
The probe found he was not physically abusive, but verbal bullying and harassment complaints were upheld.
BBC statement: 'We want to apologise to Amanda Abbington and to thank her for coming forward and taking part.'
The Mirror contacted Giovanni's reps for a comment.
Framing: The headline focuses on the settlement amount and the BBC as the payer, framing it as a financial resolution. — measured - the article is factual and formal, focusing on institutional outcomes rather than emotional drama.
Facts Included:
Amanda Abbington reached a five-figure settlement with the BBC over bullying allegations.
The review in 2024 upheld 'some, but not all' allegations against Pernice.
BBC apologised to Abbington in September 2024.
Abbington left the show early citing personal reasons, then alleged 'inappropriate behaviour'.
Pernice rejected claims and welcomed the conclusion of the review.
The settlement was paid by BBC Studios, not from the licence fee, per PA Media.
The corporation made no findings of physical aggression, but upheld verbal bullying and harassment complaints.
BBC declined to comment on the settlement.
Abbington had not ruled out legal action in October 2024.
BBC introduced a chaperone 'at all times' during training room rehearsals.
Pernice was absent from Strictly in 2024 and joined Ballando Con Le Stelle, which he won.
Strictly is preparing for next series with new hosts and new professional dancers.
Celebrity contestants for 2026 include Dani Dyer-Bowen, Melanie Walters, Shaun Wright-Phillips, and Delta Goodrem.
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimAmanda Abbington spoke out after Giovanni Pernice said he had suicidal thoughts over her bullying allegations.
ClaimAmanda Abbington quit Strictly Come Dancing weeks into the 2023 competition and later alleged she was suffering from PTSD and accused Giovanni Pernice of bullying and harassment.
ClaimAmanda Abbington responded to Giovanni Pernice's claims by saying it was 'sad, though not surprising' that he was continuing down that route, and that he was 'grossly mischaracterising what happened'.
ClaimA friend of Amanda Abbington said she would forever regard Giovanni as a monster and that she stood by her allegations, adding she was not the only one who was a victim of his behaviour.
ClaimGiovanni Pernice said he was instantly impressed with Amanda Abbington's efforts in rehearsals and claimed she sent him a thank-you message after their first session.
ClaimGiovanni Pernice thanked his then-girlfriend Molly Brown, saying 'There were certainly times I would have killed myself if Molly hadn't been there.'
ClaimFormer Met officers were brought in by BBC bosses to oversee evidence gathering and review footage and texts of Giovanni Pernice's rehearsals with Amanda Abbington.
ClaimAmanda Abbington's statement said she had been accused of being a liar, a troublemaker, 'mad and unstable', and that she received rape and murder threats and a bomb threat was sent to her place of work.
ClaimGiovanni Pernice claimed in his memoir that Amanda Abbington 'set the tone' for their relationship and that they used rude language including the 'C' word in banter, and that a BBC producer asked Amanda if she was okay with that and she replied 'Yeah, of course. I started it.'
ClaimGiovanni Pernice wrote in his memoir that he was 'on top of the world' after winning the Glitterball with Rose Ayling-Ellis in 2021, and the pair received a BAFTA.
ClaimStrictly Come Dancing's next series will have three new hosts: Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe, replacing Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.