Amanda Abington will never stop throwing mud, fearing Giovanni

Descending some red velvet stairs with her glamorous dance partner, Giovanni Bernice beamed with joy.

With the blue sky of Rome behind him, he excitedly talked about his upcoming performance in the Italian version of Ballando Con Le Stelle. Definitely.

Bernice told her fans on Instagram that her first week with Italian actress Bianca Quasero went well and that they are both looking forward to their second performance.

Friends say it was a good day. After all, a few hours ago, Giovanni learned that only six of the 17 Amanda Abingdon's complaints against him were confirmed by the BBC following a six-month investigation. In his view, the most serious allegations he made were not accepted.

Now, it seemed like it was time to finally move on from the debacle that saw him step down from the professional ranks this year on Saturday night's show.

Amanda's 17 complaints against Giovanni were confirmed by the BBC following a six-month investigation.

But that hope was short-lived. Within 24 hours of the BBC's report, the actress gave interviews in which Bernice was cleared.

Notably, 34-year-old Bernice 'outlines his erection' when he dances perfectly. Another is said to have told dancer Amanda that she was a 'menstruating woman, I'll still be looking for you'.

Indeed, the BBC's review – which saw hours of rehearsal footage – found 'no evidence of the alleged… gestures', nor any evidence that Bernice had made such a scathing statement.

Friends say it's yet another attack on the Sicilian dance star's reputation, leaving him in fresh agony. This week is said to be a 'very difficult time'. Indeed, they fear that Abington will 'never stop throwing mud at him'.

A source close to Bernice told me: 'It's really bad for Giovanni. He had to read untrue stories about himself for more than six months, and later, the verdict of the investigation showed that he did not do everything that Amanda or her friends told the media.

But just when she thought it was over, Amanda decided to go out and reveal the most outrageous things about Gio of a sexual nature, which were not backed up by the BBC's investigators – and it took its toll. He gave interviews in which he appeared to be unchallenged about matters deemed unproven by the BBC's HR department.

'He couldn't see what was fair about it. It's like he's being bullied.'

Despite the sensational allegations over the past few months, friends of Bernice are keen to point out that she 'doesn't want to be seen as a victim'.

But they say it is 'difficult' to get people to think about him things he says are 'not true'.

“Amanda certainly knows how hurtful it is to say things of a sexual nature about him,” says the friend. 'Since when is it okay for people to say this? He cannot understand.'

Giovanni is now on Ballando Con Le Stelle – the Italian version of Strictly and currently sits at the top of the leaderboard and is the favorite to win.

Worst of all for Bernice, she never knew when it would end.

“This is absolutely ridiculous and is actually becoming very destructive,” the source said.

For Bernice, many of the complaints against the dancer add insult to injury as she appears relatively weak.

Some were linked to his coaching style and heated exchanges involving foul language. For example, Bernice tells Amanda: 'I'm tired of it, and if you want to see, I don't care.'

Another complaint was that Bernice told the actress: 'You have so much talent and you're not using it.'

In another outburst, Bernice said 'f******' and threw her hands in the air while teaching her how to do a routine.

But he wasn't the only one using foul language. As I revealed last week, the panel ruled that Ms Abington was the only one of the two to use the 'c-word' in rehearsal scenes. In written exchanges between the pair on WhatsApp, she referred to her dance partner as 'k***head', 'd***face' and 't**t'.

Heck, even Amanda was the one who launched the coarse language from the sources reviewed by the BBC's investigators.

Abington openly admits to using such language – and finds it amusing.

A unearthed video surfaced on video-sharing site TikTok reveals the actress praising her 'amazing' partner Bernice and laughing about how much they swore at each other in rehearsals.

Abington says in the clip: 'Giovanni and I played some fun games. We have to be very careful because Giovanni and I swear a lot.

'We're the worst swearers, all the time. We make each other laugh, blindly. And I love our dance.

'He's an incredible choreographer, he's amazing and he's created something so beautiful. It's going to be really beautiful and wonderful and fun, and I'm really excited. It's been an amazing roller coaster.'

So what could be the next chapter in this disturbing story?

Bernice's frustration is that I'm told she's considering legal action against Abingdon – which, of course, she hasn't ruled out.

And then there's the BBC. The corporation issued a public apology to Abington on the day the report was published, and thanked him for raising his complaints. Two days later, he was interviewed by the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire, who did not intervene when she made a claim that was not confirmed in the report.

'The BBC has allowed a report to be whitewashed which suggests Amanda took this hit,' says a friend of the star. But she didn't.

“Of course, this is very annoying and upsetting for Giovanni. It helped her create a story.'

I was told that BBC staff were 'devastated' that she was definitely not there this year and Bernice was forced to leave.

Loyal viewers feel the same. Last week someone said: 'Come on BBC, get Giovanni Bernice back for next year, show some backbone! He is the best dancer for you! By letting her off the hook, you're opening the door to a drastic outcome…'

But whatever happens in the background, Bernice could still end the year on a high.

Currently sitting atop the leaderboard at Ballando Con Le Stelle, he's looking to win.

It would be a fitting retribution not only for his former employers – but also for Mrs Abington.

Queque lit up the dance floor with 'Samba Samantha' with Nikita Kuzmin last night. They scored 28 points for Hips Don't Lie by Shakira. Nick Knowles returns after missing last week with injury.

He and Luba Musht also scored 21 runs from Paddington 2 to Rain on the Roof for their Charleston. Judge Motsi Mapuse told him: 'It took a lot of courage for you to come back.'

Last night 'Champa Samantha' with Nikita Kuzmin lit up the dance floor. They scored 28 points for Hips Don't Lie by Shakira

Nick Knowles, who missed last week's show, returned from injury last night

'Jio and I swear a lot,' he told fans

Amanda Abington's unearthed video shows the actress praising her 'amazing' partner Giovanni Bernice and laughing about how much they swore at each other in rehearsal.

Earlier this month, the former Sherlock actress, 50, accused her one-time Strictly Come dancing partner of 'constant verbal abuse' during an interview with the BBC's Newsnight.

But in a video resurfaced on TikTok, Ms Abington sits in a car with Bernice, 34, after a rehearsal, singing her praises and telling her Instagram followers how much she enjoyed her day. She said: 'Giovanni and I played some fun games.

'We have to be very careful because we swear a lot, Giovanni and I. We are the worst swearers, of all time. We make each other laugh, blindly. And I love our dance.

'He's an incredible choreographer, he's amazing and he's created something so beautiful. It's going to be really beautiful and wonderful and fun, and I'm really excited. Like I said it was an amazing rollercoaster. We danced in the studio for the first time – three times for the cameras. I love our dance, it's a beautiful thing.

The BBC ruled that the actress was the only one of the pair to use the 'C-word' in hours of rehearsal footage seen by investigators when Ms Abington said Bernice called her name.

The review also found that the use of profanity and profanity was common between the pair.

Although appearing to hit it off with Mr Bernice, Mrs Abington left abruptly in week six, citing personal reasons.