Strictly Come Dancing celebrity Krishnan Guru-Murthy has said he “raised concerns” about fellow contestant Amanda Abbington’s “different” experience on the BBC show last year.
Abbington’s former professional dancer Giovanni Pernice has rejected allegations of “threatening or abusive behaviour” made by the Sherlock actress, who was partnered with him in 2023 before she left Strictly due to “personal reasons”.
The BBC has since launched an investigation following the allegations, but the results have not yet been published by the corporation.
It was announced in June that Pernice was not part of the professional dancer's line-up for the 2024 series which is due to air towards the end of the year.
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But now speaking to Katie Razzall on BBC Radio 4, Guru-Murthy recalled how he “spoke to people” at the time as he was “worried” about Abbington.
Amanda Abbington's messages showed she was 'struggling' on Strictly
The Channel 4 news presenter explained: “I set up a group chat on WhatsApp I think on our first day when we all met and it was very lively and we shared all our experiences throughout Strictly and afterwards. And it was full of you know ‘oh this is difficult and a nightmare’ and all the rest of it. And we would share our trials and tribulations and Amanda did as well.
“And so yes, there were messages that she posted that made it very clear that she was struggling and having a very hard time. We were all having a hard time because it’s tough, but it was different, in terms of what she was saying. And yes I did, I did speak to people at the time about the fact I was worried about Amanda and they should speak to her.
“Any they reassured me that they were on it and that they were dealing with it, and they were in close contact with her.
“And after that you have to just kind of have to get on with your own experience because for four days of the week you are buried in the Strictly experience with your dance partner and just concentrating on that, you don’t have time to think about anything else. So I raised it, I talked to them about it. They said ‘yeah we’re on it, don’t worry’.”
It comes as Guru-Murthy recently spoke to Abbington for an exclusive Channel 4 interview with about her experiences on the programme.
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Abbington claimed there are 50 hours of video footage, from cameras she alleges were installed after she raised concerns during her first week which Pernice “doesn’t want anyone to see” but have been reviewed by the BBC.
The actress claimed producers were “shocked and horrified” after they viewed her training films, but said she is unable to provide more detail because of the ongoing BBC review of her complaint.
Newsquest has contacted the BBC for comment.
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