She was tipped as a favourite on the last season of Strictly Come Dancing from the start, but viewers were shocked when Amanda Abbington quit the show just five weeks in. It's since been widely reported that appearing on the show with her dance partner, Giovanni Pernice, left Amanda with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). According to a source, she is now seeking legal advice to obtain behind-the-scenes footage of the rehearsals for Strictly.
In a statement, the BBC addressed Amanda’s request for data subject, saying that ‘robust’ duty of care protocols and ‘constant dialogue’ occurs between the show’s producers and its celebrity contestants.
Giovanni recently broke his silence since the claims surfaced in an Instagram post. He wrote ‘I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has sent messages of support over the last week – I really truly appreciate it – thank you thank you thank you.’
Naturally, this has led lots of people to look for more information about what might have happened between Amanda and Giovanni. On Google, 'Amanda Abbington PTSD' is a breakout term under her name, while search for 'Giovanni Pernice' is up by +130%.
It was first suggested that Amanda was quitting the show ‘due to medical reasons.’ This led people to speculate about whether Amanda Abbington might be missing due to illness, although nothing was ever confirmed at the time.
Here’s everything we know so far about why Amada Abbington left Strictly…
Why did Amanda Abbington quit Strictly?
Amanda, who is best known for her role as Mary Morstan in Sherlock, originally did not confirm her reasons for leaving the show. But it's since been widely reported that she left the show due to being diagnosed with PTSD. Seemingly, there's more to the story that we don't know, but the reason for her departure given by Strictly at the time was for ‘medical reasons.’ In the original report detailing how Amanda had requested her training footage, Giovanni was described as a 'perfectionist' who 'can be incredibly full-on.'
In a statement published in The Mirror, the BBC said: ‘The BBC offers a comprehensive range of support to all individuals taking part in our shows. _Strictly Come Dancin_g has always taken duty of care incredibly seriously and there is a constant dialogue between senior members of the production team and the contestants to ensure any concerns are addressed swiftly,’ continuing ‘Strictly has a proud track record as a joyful, positive experience where robust support and assistance is always made available at every stage of the production.’
Shortly after leaving the show, Amanda shared a statement on Instagram addressing her mysterious exit. ‘It is with deepest regret that I had to leave Strictly. I did not come to this decision easily or lightly but for personal reasons I am unable to continue,’ she wrote. ‘It was an absolute joy working with my fellow contestants, they are a beautiful, hardworking and talented group of people who I love and who I will miss seeing every Friday and Saturday and competing alongside.’
She continued by thanking the production team and ‘everyone on Strictly who looked after me and who are so kind and caring.’ She added ‘I’m so sad that I am unable to go any further. Thank you to everyone who voted and who sent wonderful messages and inspiring support. You are all amazing. Truly. Thank you. Xxx’
This wasn't the first time that she took to social media since withdrawing from the show. Amanda Abbington also reportedly shared and deleted a picture on social media of late actor Robin Williams, who suffered from depression. It was accompanied by the poignant words ‘People don't fake depression… they fake being okay. Remember that. Be kind.’
Amanda Abbington’s fiancé, Jonathan Goodwin, also shared a cryptic picture to social media, before the news was announced. Accompanied by a picture of himself posing in the mirror, Jonathan captioned the story ‘We can be so hard on ourselves...be our own worst critics... But before you judge yourself... make sure your mirror is clean.' Amanda and Jonathan met in 2021, and she shares two children with her ex-husband, Martin Freeman: son Joe, 17, and daughter Grace, 15.
Did Giovanni Pernice also quit Strictly?
Following Amanda’s departure, Giovanni also no longer appeared on the show. According to some reports, Amanda didn't tell Giovanni she was quitting the show, and he was instead told by producers a few hours before the official statement was released on Tuesday.
At the time, fans took to social media to express their sadness about the popular dancer not returning. Sharing a meme of a man crying on the sofa, one X user wrote ‘Amanda’s out of strictly Such a shame, she had a chance And now I have to wait a year To watch Giovanni dance [..] #Strictly #giovanni.’
What has Giovanni Pernice said about Amanda Abbington quitting Strictly?
Pernice is yet to comment on the speculation around Amanda’s departure from Strictly. However, he recently broke his silence in an Instagram post, where he thanked people for their support.
At the time of Amanda's exit from the show, he also shared a post on Instagram. Alongside an image of him and Amanda backstage in their pyjamas, he wrote ‘Amanda .. I am so sad we can’t continue but I am proud of what we achieved and I am sending you so much love @amanda_abbington74 @bbcstrictly.’
The post came after rumours circulated from some publications about a rift between Amanda and Giovanni. At the time, The Sun reported that Amanda was allegedly unhappy with Giovanni’s ‘militant’ attitude to training.
However, Amanda silenced the rumours in a social media post, in which she seemingly addressed the rift claims. ‘Ignoring the bulls***, because clearly people are t****,’ she wrote. ‘Just stop it, stop it, grow up. No one gives a s***. Shut up, it's b****cks, so f*** off.’
She dispelled the rumours further in a post to her Instagram story, which showed her smiling while standing on the show’s stage. She captioned the post ‘The smile you give your pro partner at the end of the camera rehearsal when you know you are in safe and hugely talented hands..."@giovannipernice ya legend. See you all tomorrow.’ Giovanni shared her Instagram story to his, and added ‘I usually don't say these things early (as probably everybody know) but I'm extremely proud of you and I can't wait for people to watch what we have created.’
What has Amanda Abbington said about transphobia accusations?
Amanda Abbington faced backlash herself from some Strictly fans in August after it was revealed she was part of the line-up. At the time, she told her Instagram followers that she thinks the backlash was over comments she made on X in March about a child performing a drag act.
In August, Amanda took to Instagram to clarify her stance in a lengthy post. ‘I need to make this very clear,’ she said. ‘I love drag. I think it’s an amazing form of entertainment and I fucking love drag queens. I think they’re hilarious and brilliant … it’s an art form and I think there’s absolutely a place for it in the entertainment industry. My son [Joe Freeman] played Jamie in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie [in his school's production of the show], and he was a wonderful drag queen.’
She explained that the resurfaced tweet was ‘regarding a 12-year-old who was doing it in front of adults. And it just upset me because I saw a kid, a little kid, a 12-year-old, doing something very over-sexualised. And I didn’t think it was right.’
After saying that 12-year-olds should 'have a childhood' and 'find that out when they are old enough to understand it,' she reiterated that she 'didn’t associate it with the trans community.' She explained: ‘And that was my tweet. I didn’t associate that with the trans community, nor would I associate that with the trans community, because I think they’re two separate things. I’m not transphobic. I’m not a transphobic person. I am a firm supporter of the legitimate trans community; I always have been.’
Amanda went on to say she would ‘support any trans person who is feeling persecuted or not listened to or not seen' and that she also supports women's rights and 'the importance of women within society.’
In the post, she also addresses 'a stupid comment a few years ago' when she was 'ill-informed' and 'instantly regretted it.' It is thought that Amanda is referring to a Facebook comment she wrote in 2020 in response to a post by Graham Linehan, which she later apologised for.
In the video posted on Sunday, she continued 'I apologised and I did my research and I'm much more informed now but the idea I would go after a community that are very sensitive... the idea that I would go after the legitimate trans community is not great. I think everybody needs to look after [one another] a bit more and not go after [one another] in a negative and horrible way.'