Amanda Abbington didn’t mention Giovanni Pernice in her Strictly exit statement (Picture: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing fans have noticed that Amanda Abbington failed to mention her professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice as she finally broke her silence on quitting the show.
The actress’s sudden decision to leave was confirmed by the BBC on Monday evening, after she skipped performing on Saturday’s live show due to ‘medical reasons’ and posted a message urging her followers to ‘be kind’, which was promptly deleted.
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.’
As she finally addressed the news on Tuesday morning, Amanda expressed ‘deep regret’ over leaving the programme in a statement on Instagram.
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’.
However, people were quick to note that the Sherlock star made no mention of her dancing partner Giovanni, 33, reigniting rumours of a reported ‘feud’ between the pair.
The actress officially quit the show on Monday, after skipping the live show on Saturday for ‘medical reasons’ (Picture: PA)
‘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.
Fans were quick to note the perceived snub from Amanda, which followed rumours of a clash between the pair (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA)
‘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.’
However, Amanda’s rep claimed the star was being ‘inclusive’ of everyone on the show who had helped her (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage)
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.
Georgia May Foote, who got to the final with Giovanni in 2015 and dated him afterwards, posted in the comments (Picture: Instagram)
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.’
Giovanni, who won the show in 2021, wished Amanda well after her exit was confirmed (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA
They also alleged that it had ‘become far more stressful than she ever imagined’, with things ‘incredibly tense’ between the pair.
At the time, Amanda’s representatives pushed back against the reports, telling Metro.co.uk it was completely untrue, while the actress hit out at ‘b******s’ rumours she threatened to quit.
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.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted a rep for Giovanni Pernice for comment. When approached, the BBC declined to comment.
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The Sherlock star failed to mention her dance partner.