Giovanni Pernice insists ‘I was just being professional’ as Strictly b.u.l.l.y.i.n.g report upholds SIX allegations against him liennhi

GIOVANNI Pernice has insisted he was "just being professional" after a BBC report into the Strictly bullying scandal upheld six allegations against him.

The bombshell report found the pro dancer using swear words, "belittling" language and giving negative feedback.

And the report concludes there were two moments of "inappropriate behaviour of sexual banter in the workplace".

These incidents were made and received consensually as jokes, humour and compliments of Amanda Abbington's dancing, the report finds.

In a recorded Instagram post this afternoon, Giovanni said he was "happy" as "none of the serious allegations" had been upheld against him.

The Italian added dancing is a "very difficult thing to do" and that sometimes he gets "frustrated".

The 34-year-old claimed he always wanted "to get the best" out of his partners and "it's called being professional".

Giovanni said: "I appreciate that dancing is a very difficult thing to do.

"It's a, it's erm, it's a sport, it's something that is difficult in every possible way and sometimes you get frustrated, you know, as a teacher, as a dancer, as a performer.

"But the only reason why you get frustrated is because you care about what you do."

He continued: "You know as a professional, as a teacher, I care about, I want to get the best out of my partner, and sometimes I do get frustrated.

"I think everybody around the world does the same thing, it's called being professional and I love, I love doing that."

The dancer said he was looking forward to "carrying on to do what I was born to do".

Pernice went on to thank fans for their support, saying "I love you all".

The BBC has now apologised to Amanda over the Strictly bullying scandal.

Her claims earlier this year threw the broadcaster's flagship show into crisis forcing it to launch a probe to limit the damage.

Amanda pulled out of Strictly Come Dancing last year citing "personal reasons".

She later claimed she was subject to a "toxic environment" and "inappropriate, mean, nasty bullying".

And celebs including Laura Whitmore, Zara McDermott and Ranvir Singh all came forward with fresh claims.

The former Strictly contestant said she feels "vindicated" by the BBC assessing and upholding "some, but not all" of her complaints about Pernice's behaviour.

But in a written statement, a spokesperson for Giovanni Pernice said: "We are pleased that this six-month review has not found any evidence of threatening or abusive behaviour by Giovanni.

"Giovanni is relieved that the overwhelming majority of allegations out to the BBC have not been upheld and looks forward to continuing his work on Dancing With The Stars in Italy this season."

It comes after the report concluded that Giovanni was not abusive, did not make threats and was not intimidating - and there was no aggressive or physical contact between him and Amanda.

Amanda had complained that Giovanni sent her an inappropriate video on WhatsApp.

But the BBC did not upheld this complaint and did not find anything sexually inappropriate.

BBC boss Charlotte Moore said: "There were a number of complaints under our bullying and harassment policy.

"A number of those complaints have been upheld. Not all of them, but a number of them have been upheld.

It comes as...

• BBC apologises to Amanda Abbington over Strictly bullying scandal
• Amanda says she's glad for apology but it isn't enough
• Giovanni breaks silence after report clears him of almost all allegations
• Amanda reveals trolls said they'd kill her and sent her bomb threats

"I'm not able to go into further detail on that, and there are very good reasons for that.

"It's probably worth me just laying out the confidentiality of a complaints process.

"I think it is absolutely integral to the complaints process, and confidentiality needs to be respected out of fairness to everybody involved.

"But of course, we're also trying to balance that with the desire to be open and to be transparent about the way our complaints processes work.

"Obviously in this case, there's been lots of media speculation and lots of interest.

"So I think it's really important that we're as open and transparent as we can be about that process, which is why we've issued the statement."

The review into Abbington's complaints about her Strictly professional dance partner Pernice was launched earlier this year.

Pernice, who is not part of this year's Strictly professional dancing line-up and has since joined an Italian dance show, previously rejected "any claim of threatening or abusive behaviour".

The BBC said on Monday: "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.

"At the time, although the production team took steps to address the issues as they understood them, ultimately these were not enough.

"This is why the measures we have taken to further strengthen our existing protocols are so important."

In a statement ahead of the report being published, Amanda Abbington said: "I've never regretted coming forward, and today's apology from the BBC is a vindication of my complaint.

"It's not just a vindication for me, it's a vindication for the other people who have contacted me since I made my complaint to express concerns about their own experiences on Strictly Come Dancing.

"I hope those who have felt unable to speak out now will be more confident that they will be listened to and believed."

She added that she is "considering" meeting senior management, after they offered that to her.

Amanda also said: "This apology means a great deal to me.

"So too does the fact that the BBC have acknowledged the steps that were put in place to support and protect me and past contestants were 'not enough'.

"What matters most now is that lessons have been learned and that the BBC makes the changes they've promised, to ensure others don't experience the same ordeal that I and others like me did."

The show returned on September 14 for its 20th anniversary with a new cast of celebrities, and some changes including having chaperones present "at all times" during rehearsals.

Sherlock actress Amanda broke down in an emotional TV interview about her experiences on the dance show earlier this year.

She claimed she was being blocked by both Giovanni and the BBC from seeing 50 hours of footage from their rehearsals.

The BBC subsequently began "evidence gathering" in the wake of the damning allegations, which included claims from two other stars.

However, Giovanni, 33, was adamant he had a "bombshell" recording in which Amanda apologised for being a "nightmare" in training.

Giovanni, who quit in May, has since landed a new job on the Italian version of the show - proudly announcing the news on his Instagram last week.

He had performed on the UK version of the show for nine years and had been a fan favourite.