‘Sherlock’ actor Amanda Abbington says she suffers from PTSD and still struggles to talk about her experiences after taking part in the BBC primetime dancing competition ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
Abbington talks about her experiences with professional dancer Giovanni Pernice in last year’s series, whom she accuses of bullying and abuse, to Channel 4 News: “When I talk about certain aspects of what happened in the room, I cry, become I emotional, I shake. Because it was terrible.”
Abbington appeared in the 21st season of the show (known in the US as “Dancing With the Stars”) before withdrawing after five episodes. At the time, she cited unspecified medical reasons.
The actor has since admitted that although a medical incident was the final straw, her experience with Pernice was ‘abusive’ and ‘cruel’, which led to her withdrawing.
“I started thinking this was going to be hard work,” she said in an interview with Channel 4 presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy, who happened to be a fellow contestant on last year’s show. “I mean, I’m looking forward to the challenge. I want to learn new dances. It’s going to be fun. It’s a Saturday night television program on BBC One, so it will require a lot of hard work. I get it. I’m a hard worker, I’m a grafter. But there will also be time to laugh and be. You know, I’ve been in rehearsal rooms all my life, so I know what they are like and what they can be like. I didn’t expect this at all. It wasn’t what I expected.”
Abbington said she could not go into detail about her experience with Pernice because she has made a formal complaint to the BBC, which owns the format through its commercial arm BBC Studios and also broadcasts it every year in the competitive winter schedule. The BBC would investigate her complaint, speak to witnesses and view footage, including from cameras set up in the rehearsal room to record Pernice’s behaviour.
After Abbington initially complained about Pernice, she said producers offered to set up the cameras (with the dancer’s knowledge) so they could review the footage at the end of each rehearsal week. “And then every Friday for the next five weeks, the producer on Friday would tell me, ‘We just rewatched the footage.’ We are shocked and appalled, we are so sorry.’” However, she added that the BBC has not given Abbington and her lawyers access to the footage since she filed her complaint.
When Guru-Murthy told Abbington that he had heard from someone else that the actor had suffered “degrading behavior of a sexual nature,” she replied in the affirmative and began to burst into tears.
When he asked if she was suing the BBC, she replied that she was not pressing charges, but that she believed she was owed a financial settlement. “I was treated very badly: loss of income and emotional trauma. Yes, definitely.” Abbington added that she had been diagnosed with PTSD.
“I was triggered in that room by past experiences and it still has a lasting effect on me. I still can’t talk about some of the things that happened in that room. Because it immediately creates a feeling of fear. And that’s not right. This is a Saturday night BBC show. This reaction should not happen on a BBC show. Thats crazy.”
“I still struggle to go out alone,” she added. “And I feel very exposed. And you know, when I talk about certain aspects of what happened in the room, I cry and I get emotional and I shake. Because it was terrible.” Abbington also said she has received death and rape threats against herself and her daughter after speaking out about her experiences.
Adding to the woes of ‘Strictly’, another contestant from last year, influencer Zara McDermott, has also spoken out about her time on the show. Her professional dance partner, Graziano Di Prima, has since admitted to kicking McDermott during rehearsals.
While most of her ‘Strictly’ experience was “everything I could have dreamed of,” McDermott said in a statement, “my experience in the training room was very different.” Reports have been made about my treatment on the show and there have been witnesses to some events, as well as videos of certain incidents that are incredibly disturbing to watch.
Like Abbington, McDermott said she went into the show knowing it would be physically challenging, but said she was unprepared for what she would experience.
Abbington has said that there are other former contestants who have also had unpleasant experiences on the show.
According to Channel 4 News, the BBC is currently conducting an internal investigation into the show, although the findings may never be made public. BBC director general Tim Davie has issued a general apology to everyone involved, while Pernice, who will not appear in the series this year, has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
This year, ‘Strictly’, which was once crowned the Guinness Book of Records’ most successful reality series after selling the format around the world, celebrates its twentieth anniversary. It is one of the most important programs on the BBC’s annual calendar, attracting viewers and winning awards. Whether it will survive in its current form now remains to be seen.