Amanda Abbington is having problems with selling tickets to her first post-Strictly acting adventure.
The Sherlock actress, 50, has been engulfed in scandal for the past year after she quit Strictly Come Dancing after just five weeks in the competition. She has since accused professional partner Giovanni Pernice of misconduct and abuse in the rehearsal room, which he denies.
Her allegations kicked off the ongoing probe into the BBC dancing competition, with a host of professionals and celebrities alike coming under the spotlight. Giovanni, who was first to be accused by Amanda herself, has strongly denied all claims being made against him.
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Now, with the results of the ongoing investigation by the BBC due, Amanda is looking to put the experience behind her. Currently appearing in the new production of When It Happens to You, Amanda stars as the mum in the play, which deals with raising concerns and not being listened to.
(Image: Park Theatre)
But according to The Sun, the play has been struggling to bring in punters to watch the show, with less than half of the venue’s 200 seats being filled since the show opened earlier this week. This comes despite the rapturous applause that came from the audience on the opening night of the play on Wednesday (July 31).
On the show’s first full run to the public, more than a dozen seats were left empty according to the newspaper. This comes as a huge shock as the show’s opening night is always billed as the biggest in the play’s run at a venue.
(Image: ITV News)
It comes just weeks after Amanda broke down in tears in emotional interviews about her Strictly experience. In a raw chat with fellow contestant Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Amanda sobbed as she recounted the experience she had and the vitriolic response from online trolls that followed.
Like others, Amanda is waiting for the final findings of the internal probe into the show to be revealed as they deal with her alleged mistreatment from both Italian Gio and BBC bosses. She branded the behaviour from the Sicilian star as “abusive, cruel and nasty”, and said she and her family received rape and death threats from disgruntled viewers.
(Image: PA)
Meanwhile, Giovanni has reportedly gained extra evidence that “proved” that Amanda was exaggerating her grievances. According to The Sun in claims made last week, Giovanni’s legal team have found a “bombshell” voice note in which Amanda apologised for “being a nightmare” to work with.
The recording is believed to have been recorded by the BBC as producers filmed rehearsals for the upcoming show. Speaking to the newspaper, an insider close to Amanda dismissed the audio, saying that the chat is “the type of everyday discussions that go on between partners and pros that go on in rehearsals, which can, obviously, be very fraught”.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
