Amanda Abbington’s fiancé Jonathan Goodwin has spoken out amid the actress’ feud with her dance partner Giovanni Pernice.
Amanda, 51, is said to have claimed the show left her with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and has reportedly demanded recordings of their rehearsals to review.
It is reported the star has sought legal advice over the dancer’s alleged behaviour towards her and believes video footage could ‘back up’ her claims.
And now her fiancé Jonathan has taken to his Instagram Story as he shared a cryptic post about men gaslighting women.
Reposting an interview with Taylor Swift, Jonathan captioned the clip ‘This…’ as the singer explained how women are expected to absorb male behaviour silently.
She said: ‘The most rage provoking of being a female is the gaslighting that happens when you know for centuries we’ve just been expected to absorb male behaviour silently right?’
The full clip continues: ‘Silent absorption of whatever any guy decides to do and often times when in our enlightened state and our emboldened state we now respond to bad male behaviour, or somebody just doing something that was out of line and we respond, that response is treated like the offence itself.
‘You know there have been situations recently with somebody who is vey guilty of this in my life and it is a person who tries to make me feel like the offender by having any kind of defence.’
Jonathan seemed to be referring to Amanda’s feud with Giovanni, suggesting that now she has chosen to speak out her response is being ‘treated like the offence itself’.
It comes after Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood became the latest star to defend Giovanni amid the ongoing feud.
The judge praised the show’s dancers as being ‘the backbone of the show,’ after it was reported that BBC bosses were backing Giovanni amid Amanda’s claims.
Speaking to The Sun ahead of the Strictly tour, Craig said: ‘The pros not only have to be creative and be able to be good choreographers, they also have to be psychiatrists, doctors, they have to be nurses, they have to be welfare guidance people. It’s not just teaching dance.’
Meanwhile Shirley Ballas also voiced her full support for the Italian dancer as she appeared on Monday’s Lorraine.
The show’s head judge, 63, called the dancer an ‘absolute gentleman’ and said in response to the recent revelations: ‘I’ve known Giovanni for many years and he is an absolutely splendid teacher.
‘My only ever experience with him is he is an absolute gentlemen. He gives 100%.
‘Strictly and shows like that they are tough shows so you know when you sign up for that kind of thing. It’s quite difficult to do the show.’
It comes after Amanda revealed she was ‘sent death threats’ by Strictly Come Dancing fans in a new interview.
Recently it was claimed the show left her with PTSD and demanded footage of rehearsals to highlight the Italian’s ‘tense’ and ‘full-on’ training methods, which allegedly caused her much grief.
The star left Strictly during week five in October and failed to return for the final, where eliminated celebrities took part in a group dance, citing ‘personal issues’.
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, Amanda gave her thanks to both her fans and fellow Strictly stars for their support.
She explained: ‘I was diagnosed with mild PTSD after Strictly for several reasons and I told a few people about that, in the utmost confidence, among other things that were happening in my life at the time both professionally and personally.’
Amanda continued: ‘I’m very sorry that people felt the need to send me death threats, threaten my children and bring up my past, healthy relationship with an ex-partner as an indicator of my current mental health. I wish those people well.
The star was praised by the judges for her performances on the show but it was claimed she was struggling behind the scenes.
After her departure, it was alleged she struggled with Giovanni’s ‘militant approach to training’, with her time on the show said to have been ‘plagued by difficulties’.
An inside source told The Telegraph: ‘It could be that she didn’t know what she let herself in for.
‘He [Giovanni] was quite tough and she found that difficult. If she wasn’t very well, that wouldn’t have helped.’
They continued: ‘She was with a partner that had a certain training style that she couldn’t cope with. Whether that came to a head or whether there’s something else going on I don’t know.’
Sources at the BBC are ready to fight the Sherlock star over her claims the show had traumatised her, saying that – at the time – she told them she was quitting due to a different medical reason.
A source told the Mail: ‘Amanda’s reason for quitting Strictly was an entirely different one to her PTSD.
‘She told production of a totally different medical condition and they [were] hugely supportive of her and did all they could to help.
‘Nobody seems to quite understand what is going on here.’
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
