Giovanni Pernice's team have accused his former Strictly Come Dancing partner Amanda Abbington of spreading 'false and defamatory claims' about him

Amanda Abbington said being on Strictly with Giovanni Pernice was 'one of the worst years' of her life – but now his friends have reportedly leapt to his defence

Giovanni Pernice has accused Amanda Abbington of "spreading false and defamatory claims" in an explosive Newsnight interview about his alleged behaviour during Strictly Come Dancing rehearsals. Following an investigation into the scandal, the BBC issued an apology to Abbington, upholding some of her complaints against Pernice.