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BBC Strictly’s Giovanni Pernice speaks out as Amanda Abbington ‘demands backstage footage’

Strictly Come Dancing’s Giovanni Pernice has finally spoken out after his dance partner, Amanda Abbington, reportedly sought legal advice to obtain backstage footage of their rehearsals.

This comes after Amanda, 51, known for her role in Sherlock, revealed she was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She left the BBC dance show last October citing “personal reasons.” Now, it seems the BBC has received a request from Amanda for footage of her rehearsing with Giovanni.

Giovanni took to Instagram to share a picture of a dance class, thanking 250 participants. He wrote: “250 people!!

READ MORE: Giovanni Pernice’s strained relationships with Strictly partners as one ‘cried every day’

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“This is how we spend our Sunday. @pasqualelarocca!! Love you all,” along with three red heart emojis. However, he hasn’t yet addressed the rumours about the issues he allegedly had with Amanda.

Giovanni Pernice has thanked fans who attended a dance class he put on
(Image: SplashNews.com)

An insider told The Sun: “There is a feeling that the recordings will lift the lid on what really goes on behind the scenes on Strictly. Things in rehearsals can become very tense.” They added that Giovanni tends to be “incredibly full-on” as he is a “perfectionist”.

Amanda reportedly told her close ones that she was left “broken and saddened” by her Strictly experience, and even sought professional help from a therapist due to the “behaviour she was exposed to”. A source claimed that it took Amanda months to recover from her time on the show, which came as a “real shock” given her initial excitement.

Amanda Abbington was paired with Giovanni Pernice on last year’s Strictly
(Image: BBC/Guy Levy)

The source said: “Everyone else was having a fabulous time, but she was really stressed by having to spend eight hours a day with Giovanni. She spent a lot of time crying and couldn’t sleep or eat properly.”

Amanda, who was in a 16-year relationship with Martin Freeman and has two children with him, joined last year’s Strictly line-up but quit after just five weeks. She also declined to be part of the show’s finale.

One fan reminisced about Amanda’s stint on the show and shared a picture that Amanda had posted of her dancing shoes on social media. The fan wrote on Instagram: “I was truly distraught with her sudden departure from the show… So hard to say goodbye.” To their surprise, Amanda replied: “Thank you angel. So was I.” The fan then responded to Amanda’s comment with: “Just wasn’t to be”, along with a peace hand emoji, red heart emoji, and a disco ball emoji.

Amanda Abbington pulled out of Strictly unexpectedly
(Image: amanda_abbington74/Instagram)

Amanda left fans stunned by quitting the show suddenly. She said: “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. 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 also said: “I want to thank the incredible Production team and everyone on Strictly who looked after me and who are so kind and caring. It’s a wonderful bunch of people and I’ll miss all of them. 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.”

* This article was crafted with the help of an AI tool, which speeds up Daily Star’s editorial research. An editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to starletters@dailystar.co.uk

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk


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