Strictly Come Dancing star demands backstage footage after dance partner left her in tears

Amanda Abbington, who left the show on medical grounds, was ‘shocked’ by the behaviour she was ‘exposed to’

Strictly Come Dancing star, Amanda Abbington, has demanded backstage footage of her rehearsals from the BBC after her dance partner left her “crying”, it has been reported.
The actress, 51, is said to be keen to review the recordings following her early departure from the hit show in October due to “medical reasons”.
Abbington, who has appeared in Mr Selfridge and Sherlock, quit Strictly citing ill health, but a friend has since revealed to The Sun that the actress “spent a lot of time crying” while filming.
They told the newspaper: “Amanda has been left broken and saddened by the whole experience. She has needed therapy and was left in shock by the behaviour she was exposed to.
“It has taken her months to get over what she went through. It was a real shock as she was initially so excited to sign up to the show to learn to dance, but instead she experienced an ordeal.”
Abbington’s partner for the dance show was 33-year-old Giovanni Pernice, who is regarded as a “perfectionist” and “full on” according to an on-set Strictly insider.
The pair are said to have had a series of clashes while practising together, something that Abbington reportedly believes the hours of rehearsal tapes could bring to light as she takes legal advice after being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Her friend added: “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.”
The on-set source told the newspaper: “The BBC has received a request for the footage they hold of Amanda and Giovanni.
“It is known as a data subject access request. 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.”
The pair reportedly clashed over an intense rehearsal schedule, with Abbington struggling with her Italian partner’s “aggressive training style and attitude”.
Mr Pernice, who won the show in 2021 alongside EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, has allegedly fallen out with some of his previous celebrity partners.
Laura Whitmore, the former Love Island presenter, said in 2016 that she “cried every day” and felt “uncomfortable” while training with him.
Following the show, she revealed: “I was placed with a dance partner I was extremely uncomfortable with and in the end I felt broken, I cried every day.
“And I really was broken, both mentally and physically, by the end.”
The Sicilian-born dancer, 33, was also reported to have “feuded” with TV and radio presenter Richie Anderson during the 2022 competition.
Before Abbington left the show on Oct 21, the pair’s live performances had been greeted positively by the judges, but the actress was not invited back to perform in the show’s finale.
The BBC declined to comment when approached by The Telegraph.