Giovanni Pernice Says BBC Drove Him to Suicidal Thoughts After Strictly Come Dancing Exit

Giovanni Pernice has said he felt suicidal after the BBC "hung him out to dry" following Amanda Abbington's complaint about his behaviour on Strictly Come Dancing.

The professional dancer made the remarks in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, published on 25 August 2026, tied to the release of his memoir Gio: Taking the Lead. He told the newspaper that Abbington's withdrawal from the competition in 2023 set off a chain of events that drove him to the brink of suicide (The Daily Telegraph).

Pernice said he was "spiralling mentally" and had thoughts of ending his life. "There's no place for me any more in this industry," he recalled thinking. "Let's end this." He said the BBC "hung me out to dry to cover their backs" and that he was "devastated by that" (Deadline).

The controversy began in 2023, when Pernice was paired with actress Amanda Abbington on Strictly Come Dancing, the BBC's flagship celebrity dance competition. Abbington withdrew after five weeks and later filed a formal complaint alleging that Pernice was "nasty" and had bullied her (BBC News). Pernice has not appeared on the show since.

The BBC launched an investigation. In October 2024, the corporation announced it had upheld some of Abbington's complaints relating to verbal bullying and harassment, but cleared Pernice of the most serious allegations of physical aggression (BBC News). The BBC apologised to Abbington for her experience on the show. The corporation never specified which allegations it found credible.

Pernice told The Daily Telegraph that most of the upheld complaints related to swearing, citing one occasion when he "threw my arms up and said f***." He said the BBC's apology to Abbington made it appear that the newspaper stories about him were real, when in his account most had been found to be untrue. "Where is my apology?" he asked (The Daily Telegraph).

Pernice described himself as a "taskmaster" who can take a dance partner to the final and win if they want to be pushed. He said he should never have been paired with Abbington (Deadline).

He also said the BBC failed to support him. His contract had ended in December, but he had been with the corporation for nine years. He said the BBC did not reply to his emails about his myocarditis — an inflammation of the heart muscle — and his depression (The Daily Telegraph).

For Pernice, the cost of the dispute was personal as much as professional. A dancer who spent nearly a decade on one of British television's most-watched programmes says he reached the point of not wanting to live. The BBC has not publicly responded to his latest comments.