12 December 2023 , 11:56
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Amanda Abbington won't be returning for this weekend's Strictly Come Dancing final after leaving the competition early.
The news will act as a bitter blow to professional dancer Giovanni Pernice, who will be forced to dance alone as the rest of the stars return to the stage. It comes after Giovanni was reportedly "fuming" after the actress suddenly quit in October after "giving no warning". Breaking her silence following her exit, Amanda said that she had to withdraw due to "personal reasons" and thanked the production team and "everyone on Strictly" in her statement without mentioning professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice in her statement. Following her message to social media, Giovanni posted to Instagram to address his sadness after his time in the competition was cut short.
Ellie Leach, Bobby Brazier and Layton Williams will all be vying for the Glitterball this weekend, with all the eliminated stars set to return to the competition.
In a statement to the Mirror, a BBC spokesperson said: "Amanda decided to withdraw from the competition, therefore she will not be returning for the final."
Amanda Abbington won't be returning on Saturday (BBC)Taking to his Instagram at the time, Giovanni had shared a photo of the pair embracing while dressed in festive outfits and wrote: "I am so sad we can't continue but I am proud of what we achieved and I am sending you so much love."
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A statement from the BBC had also been read out by It Takes Two host Fleur East, which read: "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." Fleur then showed Amanda and Giovanni's best bits on the show, before sending her own well wishes to the actress.
Amanda's partner Jonathan Goodwin made a cryptic post just hours before his girlfriend's exit for officially announced on Monday . He had posted a photo of himself, writing alongside it: "We can be so hard on ourselves...be our own worst critics... But before you judge yourself... make sure your mirror is clean." He also later shared a reel of him doing a 45 minute hack to make someone more productive. He captioned it: "The 45 minute hack you can use to make you more productive, eliminate any unwanted feeling, behaviour or emotion. It WORKS and you already know about it."
Fans rushed to social media after Strictly confirmed the news on Monday, and sent their well wishes to Amanda and Giovanni. One wrote: "Oh no they were my favourite. So much love to Amanda and Gio," as a second added: "Very sad news for Amanda and Giovanni, they will be missed but health comes first x." A third penned: "Sending lots of love - gutted for them and she was one of my faves."