December 16th 2024.
According to reports, actress Amanda Abbington has turned down an opportunity to appear on another reality show. After her experience on Strictly Come Dancing, the 50-year-old Sherlock star was offered a spot on Celebrity Big Brother, but declined the offer.
Last year, Amanda left the dancing competition and later made claims that her dance partner, Giovanni Pernice, had bullied her during rehearsals. The 34-year-old dancer denied these allegations, but the BBC still launched an investigation. While the investigation has since ended, Amanda is said to be still dealing with the aftermath and has decided to pass on the chance to participate in the popular ITV show.
An insider revealed that Amanda has nothing against Celebrity Big Brother, but she is trying to protect herself from the online hate she received after speaking out about her experience with Giovanni. "She couldn't face going through all the trolling that she received when she complained about Giovanni, which made her feel like public enemy number one," the source told The Sun.
The source also added, "Of course, the fee for taking part would have been appreciated, but she just couldn't face it. Amanda has absolutely nothing against Celebrity Big Brother, though. Indeed, she will be tuning in to watch the show next year, along with the rest of the country."
Amanda and Giovanni were paired together on the 2023 Strictly series, but they were forced to withdraw in week six after Amanda had a cancer scare. She later revealed that she was relieved to have a valid reason to leave the toxic situation. The BBC apologized to Amanda and thanked her for speaking out in an official statement.
The broadcaster's investigation found that some of the complaints against Giovanni were valid, but not all of them. They acknowledged that some of the language he used towards Amanda could be considered belittling and that his feedback was overly negative at times. They also confirmed that there were two instances of inappropriate sexual banter between the pair during rehearsals, which were meant as jokes.
In a statement, the BBC expressed their regret over the situation and apologized to Amanda for any harm caused. "We want to apologize to Amanda Abbington and thank her for coming forward and taking part. We know this would not have been an easy thing to do," the statement read.
Giovanni, who has always denied any wrongdoing, also spoke out about the situation, particularly the online hate that Amanda received. In an interview with Lorraine Kelly, he called the trolling "disgusting" and expressed his remorse over the messages she received.
The media has reached out to Amanda's representatives for a comment on the situation. If you have a celebrity story or any related content, you can reach out to The Agency entertainment team via email, phone, or by visiting their website. They would love to hear from you.
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