Amanda Abbington breaks down in tears as she opens up on BBC Strictly scandal

Strictly's Giovanni Pernice addresses Amanda Abbington 'feud'

Amanda Abbington broke down in tears as she opened up about her time on Strictly Come Dancing – after sensationally quitting the BBC competition.

Sherlock actress Amanda sat down for an explosive new interview on Channel 4 this Wednesday (July 24), where she told Krishnan-Guru Murthy about her experiences. In an emotional turn of events, Amanda couldn’t make it through without crying.

Speaking at London’s Park Theatre – where Amanda is rehearsing for her new play When It Happens To You – she was quizzed about how she’s feeling currently.

Amanda said: “See you say that question, and I immediately get emotional and start to cry. I'm okay, you know? I'm okay.

“It’s not been easy. This play has certainly reinforced my belief that you can be in a rehearsal room and be nurtured and looked after. Because you start to think, ‘oh, you know, am I going mad?’ but I'm not mad, as you know, but yeah it's been brutal and relentless and unforgiving.”

Amanda claims she's received death threats (Image: Getty)

Speaking about the “aftermath” of the media storm caused by her speaking out against professional dancer Giovanni Pernice, Amanda admitted she’s received death threats from fans of the programme.

She claimed: “The aftermath has been something that I wasn't expecting. The death threats and the rape threats towards not only myself, but my daughter, and the threats of death to my son.

“When you get like, one or two of those, you can go, ‘Oh, God, you know’, but I was getting like dozens a day, of people just saying, ‘just go and kill yourself’, ‘I hope you die of cancer’, ‘just kill yourself your kids will be better off without you as a mother’, ‘I hope your daughter gets raped’, ‘I hope your son gets stabbed’, ‘you don't deserve any good things for what you've done’, ‘how could you destroy something like Strictly?’, ‘you're a snowflake’, ‘you're an idiot’, ‘you’re stupid’, ‘poor Giovanni’, and it was just all the time.”

window.topArticlesScript="https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/js/dist/article-top-articles20240723.min.js"

Giovanni Pernice has denied all wrongdoing (Image: Getty)

Giovanni, meanwhile, has denied any wrongdoing, writing: “Of course, I reject any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour, and I look forward to clearing my name.

“Those who have followed my journey on Strictly Come Dancing over the last decade will know that I am passionate and competitive. No-one is more ambitious for my dance partners than me. I have always striven to help them be the very best dancers they can be. This has always come from a place of love and wanting to win – for me and my dance partners.”

For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy

Amanda Abbington breaks down in tears as she opens up on BBC Strictly scandal

Amanda Abbington breaks down in tears as she opens up on BBC Strictly scandal

Amanda Abbington breaks down in tears as she opens up on BBC Strictly scandal

Amanda Abbington breaks down in tears as she opens up on BBC Strictly scandal

Amanda Abbington breaks down in tears as she opens up on BBC Strictly scandal