‘Strictly Come Dancing’ Bullying Scandal: BBC Apologizes To Amanda Abbington & Upholds Some Of ‘Sherlock’ Star’s Complaints

The BBC has concluded its investigation into Amanda Abbington‘s claims that she was bullied by her Strictly Come Dancing partner Giovanni Pernice on last year’s show.

The British broadcaster has apologized to Abbington, an actress best known for her work as Mary Watson in BBC drama Sherlock, and upheld some of her complaints.

In a statement, the BBC said: “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.”

The BBC was not specific about what allegations have been upheld and it is unlikely to say more because of data protection laws in the UK. Pernice consistently denied wrongdoing.

Abbington abruptly quit Season 21 of Strictly last October citing “personal reasons.” She later engaged Carter Ruck, the aggressive London law firm, to pursue a complaint with the BBC about Pernice’s training methods.

The precise nature of her allegations was unclear, but she called the Italian “nasty” and accused him of inappropriate, bullying behavior during her five weeks on Strictly.

Abbington’s claims were followed by a separate allegation from Love Island star Zara McDermott, who handed the BBC video evidence of her being kicked by partner Graziano Di Prima. The professional dancer did not recall the specific incident but acknowledged it happened and apologized. He was fired by the BBC.

Season 22 of Strictly Come Dancing is underway in the UK, with the BBC introducing new welfare measures for contestants, including training room chaperones.