Much excitement when it was announced that Sherlock star Amanda Abbington was to appear on Strictly.
The 51-year-old mum of two teenagers embodied the essence of the show, a middle-aged celebrity with no dance experience bar ballet lessons as a child.
Under the tutelage of Strictly’s star professional dancer Giovanni Pernice she transformed from an ugly duckling into a swan, hugging her partner when judges gave her high scores.
Then stories emerged that Amanda and Gio had fallen out. She dismissed them as utter ‘bull***t’ on X.
But five weeks in, she quit, claiming an unspecified medical condition. And afterwards she demanded footage of her and Gio’s daily practice sessions with a view to taking legal action.
Much excitement when it was announced that Sherlock star Amanda Abbington (Pictured Right) was to appear on Strictly
Under the tutelage of Strictly’s star professional dancer Giovanni Pernice (Pictured) she transformed from an ugly duckling into a swan
She said she wanted proof his tough training left her so traumatised she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Of course I sympathise — she’s clearly upset. But what did she expect when signing up for Strictly?
Many celebs would kill for the opportunity. Recently widowed former tennis ace Annabel Croft flourished on the show, winning admiration and high scores dancing for her lost husband.
Who knows what lies behind Amanda’s anguish? Perhaps splitting from her partner of 16 years Martin Freeman contributed. He’s now dating Rachel Mariam, 29, two decades younger than her. The struggles of raising two teenage children alone?
Whatever the cause, after wonderful initial performances together, it was sad to hear Amanda claiming the partnership became strained and she had ended up with PTSD.
We first became familiar with the term when soldiers returned from war, shell-shocked by what they had endured.
Now it is bandied around for anyone going through a tough experience. And I have to say dancing with Giovanni does not, in my mind, qualify for this condition.
Yet I feel sorry for Amanda, a terrific actress and gifted novice dancer.
The BBC has pledged to stand by Giovanni, as it should. He has never complained nor told his side of the story. His career could have been over because of Amanda’s meltdown.
Perhaps the lesson is that we should not blame others for our mental health but look to ourselves.
As for this performance on Strictly, Amanda, I give you nil points.
