Strictly Come Dancing has been thrown into a spot of chaos after star Amanda Abbington has fallen ill — weeks before the show’s launch.
Actress Amanda, 51, will be strutting her stuff across the famous ballroom for series 21 of the glitzy BBC One show.
She will be joining the likes of EastEnders’ Bobby Brazier, Corrie’s Ellie Leach and Les Dennis – in a bid to be crowned the champ and take home the prestigious Glitterball trophy.
READ MORE: Strictly’s Angela Scanlon wows as she strips down to red swimsuit for dip
But unfortunately, Amanda has had to halt rehearsals ahead of the launch as she’s been struck down with “vicious” food poisoning.
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Taking to her Instagram, the Mr Selfridge actress told her fans: “Food poisoning. Particularly vicious one.
“Any tips on how to feel back to normal [would be] greatly appreciated.”
On Saturday 23 September, the latest batch of celebs will be officially introduced alongside their dance partners
Hosted by Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, the BBC show will then run for 13 weeks and finish on Saturday December 16.
(Image: PA)
However, fans were not happy when Amanda was revealed be taking part in the new series after she was accused of being transonic – which she denied.
Last March Amanda was under social media fire after she wrote on her now-suspended X account that “people taking their children to drag queen shows have something fundamentally wrong with them.”
Following the backlash, Abbington, posted a lengthy video on Instagram where she clarified her comments.
“I’m not transphobic, I’m not a transphobic person, I’m a firm supporter of the legitimate trans community, I always have been,” she said:
“I think they have been infiltrated by some people who want to cause damage and want to cause trouble, and pit people off of each other and cause as much harm as possible.
“But I would support any trans person who is feeling persecuted or not listened to, or not seen, of course I would. I’m not a nasty person.’
(Image: PA)
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“I support the trans community, I also support women’s rights and I support the importance of women within society, and I think those two are being really pitted against each other.”
She added: “So I’m sorry if you feel like you need to boycott Strictly for a tweet I made about a drag show but I don’t think 12-year-olds should be doing overly-sexualised drag acts. That’s my personal opinion and I’m not pushing it on anyone else. It upsets me when I see kids feeling like they have to do that.
“But I didn’t associate it with the trans community nor would I. I’m an ally of the LGBT community and I’m an ally of women’s rights and I’m an ally of kids being kids, and I’m an ally of live and let live.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
