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.
Amanda’s rep has now denied any talk of the star ‘snubbing’ Giovanni in her statement addressing her exit from Strictly.
They told Metro.co.uk of Amanda’s Instragram post: ‘She was inclusive of everyone involved in the show who helped make her appearance not only happen, but a success.
‘She loved everybody on the programme and did not want to leave anyone out. She is extremely grateful and wishes she could have continued.
‘Health comes first always,’ they added,
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.
Several other current Strictly stars and pros also gave their love to Amanda, including newsreader Krishnan Guru-Murthy, co-host Claudia Winkleman and pro Neil Jones, who wrote: ‘We love you and will miss you, you are so talented and a beautiful soul. 🧡’
At the time of publication, Giovanni is yet to comment on her post – but yesterday he postponed the launch of his new brand, Giovanni Pernice Vita (GP Vita), which was set for Tuesday.
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 claimed that it had ‘become considerably more difficult than she ever thought,’ with things becoming ‘extremely tense’ between the couple.
Amanda’s reps pushed back against the accusations, stating they were absolutely false, while the actress slammed ‘b******s’ rumours that she threatened to resign.
Following Amanda’s departure, Giovanni, who won the glitterball trophy with Rose Ayling-Ellis in 2021, voiced his disappointment at not being able to stay on the programme, 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.’
