LAURA Whitmore has spoken out after joining Amanda Abbington’s complaint fight against Strictly star Giovanni Pernice.
The former Love Island host was partnered with Giovanni for the 2016 Strictly series, and in July confirmed that she had come forward as part of the BBC’s investigation into the Italian dancer’s backstage behaviour.
On Monday, the BBC released their findings, upholding six of the 17 allegations of bullying made by Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington from her time as his 2023 partner.
Giovanni was cleared on the other 11, but the BBC still apologised to Amanda for her experience.
Sharing some of the results, Laura took to Instagram to give her input on what was found.
She wrote: “I hope this helps people realise they should not be subjected to abusive behaviour in the workplace.
“Things can be twisted online and there’s so much more to this but in black and white there were complaints upheld and an apology made.
“And the perpetrator no longer works for the channel.”
Laura has made no secret that she did not have the best experience during her time on Strictly – sharing in 2018 that she “cried nearly every day” before being eliminated in week seven.
In a story with The Huffington Post, Laura said: “I love dancing – I topped the leaderboard twice – but I was thrown into the middle of a break-up that had nothing to do with me. Once again, I was a ‘rumoured love interest’.
“I was placed with a dance partner I was extremely uncomfortable with – and in the end I felt broken, I cried every day. And I really was broken, both mentally and physically, by the end.” Since the announcement of the investigation, Laura has remained quiet save for one statement in order to clarify reports.
The post on Instagram said she was “not commenting on speculation until the review was complete” but added she felt there was “misinformation” she needed to correct.
“I was asked to speak to the BBC along with six people that I know of (who deserve anonymity as they don’t want to be dragged through the press), about inappropriate behaviour they experienced similar to mine with the same individual,” she wrote.
“I initially raised concerns back in 2016. I thought my experience was specific to me but I’ve since learned I was wrong.
“The aim of this is to show a pattern of behaviour that I believe needs to stop. My evidence is to support other people’s experience. It’s a shame it takes this for someone to be heard.”
She added she wanted “an acceptance of what happened to her” in the hope it wouldn’t happen again in the future.
“Because I have not made an official complaint, and am providing evidence of my experience to support the investigation, not all the communication will be passed on to all parties involved,” she added.”
She concluded the statement: “Victim blaming must stop or we will never get better.
“’I’ve tried to speak up in the correct way. I know the BBC and all outlets continue to do their best to be better, but for that to happen we must speak up.”
The report results were made public on Monday, and concluded Giovanni had sworn at Amanda, used “belittling” language and gave negative feedback, as well as two moments of “inappropriate behaviour of sexual banter in the workplace”.
Amanda spoke out shortly afterwards, saying she felt “vindicated” after being bombarded with death threats by fans over her official complaints.
“It’s not just a vindication for me, but for the other people who have contacted me since I made my complaint to express concerns about their own experiences on Strictly Come Dancing,” she said in a statement.
“I hope those who have felt unable to speak out now will be more confident that they will be listened to and believed.”
It’s now believed she’s considering suing the BBC for damages after loss of work.
She told The Sun: “I want to take the time to consider the report in detail with my advisers before deciding what happens next.”
A source added: “Amanda suffered enormously, got formally diagnosed with PTSD, and feels the BBC breached its duty of care guidelines by not protecting her sooner.
“It’s hard to put a figure on how much she could expect if things go her way, but it could be up to £300,000.”
In a video on Instagram, Giovanni thanked fans for their support and said he was happy that the more serious allegations made against him had not been upheld.
He said in his defence: “You know as a professional, as a teacher, I care about, 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, I love doing that.”
“The BBC has now concluded its review into the complaints made by Amanda Abbington against Giovanni Pernice.
“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.
“We have assessed the complaints and we have upheld some, but not all, of the complaints made.
“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.
“At the time, although the production team took steps to address the issues as they understood them, ultimately these were not enough.
“This is why the measures we have taken to further strengthen our existing protocols are so important.
“The BBC heard from a number of individuals in making its findings. We want to thank them for participating.
“The BBC has already taken extensive steps to enhance our duty of care for everyone on the show and a full note of these steps is published alongside this statement.”
