Amanda Abbington to break silence on Strictly scandal in first TV interview since exit
Amanda Abbington has remained silent about the scandal surrounding allegations of abusive behaviour behind the scenes of Strictly Come Dancing. However, the actress could finally break her silence in her first live TV interview since dramatically quitting the BBC dance show last year.
Amanda, 50, withdrew from the competition in the fifth week citing “personal reasons”. She later shared that she had been diagnosed with mild PTSD and claimed she would return home from rehearsals with Giovanni Pernice “vomiting and in tears”.
Giovanni, 33, has now been removed from the show’s professional line-up following complaints about his teaching methods. The complaints are understood to have come from a number of Giovanni’s former celebrity partners, including Amanda.
The Italian dancer has denied all allegations, saying in a social media post in June that he has "always rejected any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour".
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READ MORE: Anton Du Beke 'becomes fourth Strictly star at centre of misconduct probe'
Amanda Abbington competed with Giovanni Pernice on Strictly 2023. (Image: BBC)A source told MailOnline: “She has been booked to promote her upcoming play When It Happens To You but obviously, with everything that's been happening, Christine will be asking Amanda how she is amid the scandal.
“Given the BBC investigation is ongoing, the show will have to abide by those restrictions. It's the first time Amanda has returned to live television since she quit Strictly, everyone is looking forward to her appearance because who knows what she might say.”
Graziano Di Prima was also dropped from the 2024 Strictly line-up following claims about his treatment of Love Island star Zara McDermott when they competed together last year.
Graziano, 30, confirmed his departure in an Instagram post on Saturday. He said he "deeply regrets" the events that led to his departure and acknowledged that his "intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime".
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On Thursday, his spokesman, Mark Borkowski, admitted Di Prima "kicked" the reality star and apologised at the time. He added that the dancer is in a "very vulnerable state" following the allegations.
Borkowski told the PA news agency: "This week the news agenda has focused on an isolated incident that Mr Di Prima deeply regrets and apologised for at the time.
"The deluge of commentary, too often without context or nuance, has provoked a pile-on that has left a young man in a very vulnerable state.”
Zara previously said she "wrestled with the fear of opening up" about her time on Strictly as she feared a "public backlash" and "victim shaming".
window.topArticlesScript="https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/js/dist/article-top-articles20240709.min.js"The 27-year-old said: "Reports have been made about my treatment on the show and there were witnesses to some events, as well as videos of particular incidents which are incredibly distressing to watch."
Professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova, who recently split from Kai Widdrington, has also met with BBC bosses to raise concerns about the show, according to the Daily Mail.
The dance competition announced earlier this week that new measures would be introduced following the claims, including a chaperone who will be present "at all times" during rehearsals and the introduction of two welfare producers.
The BBC show, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, is due to film its pre-recorded launch programme on September 4.
Amanda Abbington to break silence on Strictly scandal in first TV interview since exit
Amanda Abbington to break silence on Strictly scandal in first TV interview since exit
Amanda Abbington to break silence on Strictly scandal in first TV interview since exit
Amanda Abbington to break silence on Strictly scandal in first TV interview since exit
Amanda Abbington to break silence on Strictly scandal in first TV interview since exit
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