Fans of Strictly Come Dancing have noted that Amanda Abbington omitted to name her professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice when she eventually announced her departure from the competition.
The actress’s abrupt departure was announced by the BBC on Monday evening, after she missing Saturday’s live performance due to’medical concerns’ and sent a message imploring her followers to ‘be nice,’ which was then removed.
A Strictly spokesperson said: ‘Amanda Abbington is unable to continue in Strictly Come Dancing and has decided to withdraw from the competition. The show wishes her all the best for the future.’
Amanda finally addressed the matter on Tuesday morning, expressing ‘deep remorse’ over quitting the show in an Instagram message.
Citing ‘personal reasons’, she called the experience of working with her fellow contestants ‘an absolute joy’ and praised the ‘incredible’ production team and ‘everyone on Strictly who looked after me and who are so kind and caring’.
People were quick to point out that the Sherlock actress made no mention of her dance partner Giovanni, 33, reigniting claims of a ‘feud’ between the two.
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‘Sad you are leaving but why no mention of Gio? 💕’ asked one of Amanda’s followers in the comment section of her post, while another wrote: ‘Why no word for Gio?’
‘I think Amanda you have forgotten somebody there, what about a mention for your partner??’ echoed another.
Last series, when Tony Adams was forced to quit after injuring himself, he called partner Katya Jones ‘an exceptional human being’.
Likewise, when Paralympic gold medallist Will Bayley pulled out in 2019, he gushed: ‘I want to say a special thank you to Janette for believing in me and giving me the confidence to believe in myself.
‘The things we achieved, from our Couple’s Choice dance through to the lifts in our Salsa, will stay with me forever.’
Former Strictly contestant Emma Barton also commented on Amanda’s post, sharing: ‘It was such a joy to see you learning and blossoming in your magical partnership with @giovannipernice We’ll never know which song you were singing together last week!’
However, her well-meaning remark attracted attention as one fan responded: ‘It obviously wasn’t a magical partnership was it!!!!’
Another pointed out to Emma underneath that it was ‘odd no mention of Giovanni [sic]’.
‘Exactly what I was thinking,’ added a third.
‘It has become pretty obvious that something was off with the partnership even though they tried so hard to hide it in front of the camera,’ claimed another.
Giovanni’s ex-girlfriend Georgia May Foote, who competed with the dancer on the 2015 series – where they finished as runners-up – also shared her support for Amanda in the comments.
‘The strongest woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. Love you 💜,’ the 32-year-old ex-Coronation Street star said.
Ahead of the first live show in September, there had been reports of a clash between the pair, reportedly due to Giovanni’s ‘militant’ attitude in training.
A source told The Sun: ‘Giovanni is a hard taskmaster and takes the competition very, very seriously.
‘Sometimes his manner is incredibly brusque and this can upset his partners.
‘Amanda was really looking forward to dancing with him, but has found his aggressive training style and attitude pretty difficult to handle.’
They also alleged that it had ‘become far more stressful than she ever imagined’, with things ‘incredibly tense’ between the pair.
People were quick to point out that the Sherlock actress made no mention of her dance partner Giovanni, 33, reigniting claims of a ‘feud’ between the two.
Following the shock news of Amanda’s departure, Giovanni, who lifted the glitterball trophy with Rose Ayling-Ellis in 2021, expressed his sadness over being unable to continue on the show, writing: ‘Amanda .. I am so sad we can’t continue but I am proud of what we achieved and I am sending you so much love.’
