new claims Amanda Abbington reveals she held secret meeting with Giovanni Pernice’s ex partners and ‘they all said the same thing’

AMANDA Abbington revealed she held an emotional secret meeting with Giovanni Pernice’s former Strictly Come Dancing partners – as she made new allegations of “Sєxual” gestures from the pro.

The actress, 50, appeared on Newsnight last night for her first interview since the findings of a BBC investigation into Giovanni’s conduct on Strictly were released.

During the sit-down chat she accused the Italian dancer of making “Sєxual innuendos” and “Sєxual gestures” during rehearsals last year.

Speaking to Victoria Derbyshire, Amanda also revealed she met with celebrities who were previously partnered with Gio, 34, and said: “We all cried, we all burst into tears”.

She continued: “We just wanted to make sure that we weren’t on our own and thinking this had just happened to us.

“Everyone I spoke to all said the same thing, it wasn’t pleasant and it wasn’t what everyone else was going through in the other [rehearsal] rooms.”

The BBC apologised to Amanda after upholding six of the 17 complaints she made against Giovanni who later quit the show.

It found instances of Giovanni using swear words and “belittling” language and giving negative feedback.

However, the dancer was not abusive to Amanda, did not make threats and was not intimidating, the report concluded.

The report also found two moments of “inappropriate behaviour of Sєxual banter in the workplace” but the incidents were made and received consensually as jokes, humour and compliments of Amanda dancing.

However, in last night’s interview, Amanda claimed: “It was an ongoing litany of being verbally abused, Sєxual innuendo, Sєxual gestures.

“There was a 35 minute rant at me with him throwing his hands in the air and calling me names and how he couldn’t cope with it anymore.

She continued: “When I got a dance step right he would outline his erection in his trousers and tell me my dance move made that happen, because I got it right.”

A spokesman for Giovanni told The Sun: “It’s disappointing that Ms Abbington would knowingly mislead the outcome of the report in order to further damage Giovanni’s reputation.

“While Ms Abbington may not like the outcome of the six month investigation, she should not seek to spread false and defamatory claims.”

Shirley Ballas broke her silence on Wednesday after the findings were revealed.

She told The Mirror on Wednesday: “I don’t condone bullying – I’ve been through it myself.

“So if things aren’t right or need addressing, I feel for the person that wants them addressed.

“And I think that’s a big, important part – that everybody gets to say their thing. But now the investigation is over and everybody can move on.”