Amanda Abbington is seen for the first time since claiming Strictly ‘left her with PTSD’ as she ‘demands footage of rehearsals’ while BBC backs her dance partner Giovanni Pernice

Amanda Abbington cut a glum figure on Tuesday as she was seen for the first time since she claimed her stint on Strictly Come Dancing left her with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The actress, 51, was paired with professional dancer Giovanni Pernice, but quit the BBC One series mid-series last year citing ‘personal issues’.

It has now been reported that she has claimed the show left her with PTSD and demanded footage of rehearsals to highlight the Italian’s ‘tense’ and ‘full-on’ training methods, which allegedly caused her much grief.

Amanda was seen looking tense as she left a Tube station in North London after her claims were made public.

She wrapped up from the chilly weather in a long coat, a cream knitted beanie and fingerless gloves. 

She donned a navy jumper and matching wide-legged trousers, adding casual trainers and a green tote bag as she strolled down the street.

Meanwhile, Giovanni was spotted in West London the same day after rehearsing for his upcoming live tour, Let Me Entertain You.

Amanda left Strictly during week five in October and failed to return for the final, where eliminated celebrities took part in a group dance.

Amanda was praised by the judges for her performances on the show but it was claimed she was struggling behind the scenes.

After her departure, it was alleged she struggled with Giovanni’s ‘militant approach to training’, with her time on the show said to have been ‘plagued by difficulties’.

An inside source told The Telegraph: ‘It could be that she didn’t know what she let herself in for.

‘He [Giovanni] was quite tough and she found that difficult. If she wasn’t very well, that wouldn’t have helped.

‘She was with a partner that had a certain training style that she couldn’t cope with. Whether that came to a head or whether there’s something else going on I don’t know.’

Now it has been reported that she is seeking footage of their rehearsals to back up her claims as she seeks legal advice.

An on-set source told The Sun: ‘The BBC have 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.

‘Giovanni is a perfectionist and he can be incredibly full-on.’

A friend of Amanda told the publication it has taken her months to recover from her Strictly experience and she has needed therapy.

They said: ‘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.

‘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 pal added that Amanda found the negative response she got on social media for not mentioning Giovanni in her exit statement difficult, but insisted her family and friends had been there to support her.

It was reported she had quit the show after clashing with Giovanni, but she dismissed claims of a fallout at the time.

Sources at the BBC are ready to fight the Sherlock star over her claims the show had traumatised her, saying that – at the time – she told them she was quitting due to a different medical reason.

A source told the Mail: ‘Amanda’s reason for quitting Strictly was an entirely different one to her PTSD.

‘She told production of a totally different medical condition and they [were] hugely supportive of her and did all they could to help.

‘Nobody seems to quite understand what is going on here.’

It is understood that first BBC chiefs knew about her PTSD was late last year when they received a request for the tapes.

There is added confusion because Amanda quickly shot down suggestions – made before the show aired in September – that she and Giovanni had fallen out.

On Instagram, she dismissed the claims as ‘bulls****’ and told people to, ‘Shut up, it’s b******s.’

During broadcasts, she and the Italian dancer – who has worked on the show since 2015 – were seen hugging and appearing to be friends. 

One Strictly source said: ‘All you’d see at the studio were the pair of them hugging and kissing.’

Twinkle-toed star Giovanni was also reportedly only given the news of Amanda’s exit a few hours before the official statement was released.

A source told the Daily Star: ‘Amanda didn’t tell Giovanni she had decided to quit the show. The first he heard was a call from a producer.

‘This has really annoyed him. He’s barely heard from her for 10 days. She hasn’t been replying to messages or telling him what’s happening.

‘He’s been complaining about it to friends. He’s frustrated. He is worried the drama will be damaging for his career and make him look bad.’

However, according to reports, BBC bosses are sticking behind Giovanni in the wake of the feud. 

According to The Sun, bosses arranged a call between Giovanni’s management and Strictly executives where they offered him their full support and checked in on his mental health.

Giovanni is understood to have been assured that his place on the show is secure.

A source said: ‘It’s no secret Gio and Amanda had a tricksy relationship — but there are two sides to every story.

‘Bosses arranged a call between his management and show execs to discuss recent coverage and make sure he was OK as obviously he’s faced a hell of a lot of stick over the past couple of months.

‘The feeling is he is a tough taskmaster, but hasn’t bullied or abused anyone. The BBC see him as a key face of Strictly and will do all they can to support him.’

The BBC broke their silence on the bombshell accusations on Monday, with a spokesperson releasing a new statement that read: ‘The BBC offers a comprehensive range of support to all individuals taking part in our shows. 

‘Strictly Come Dancing has always taken duty of care incredibly seriously and there is a constant dialogue between senior members of the production team and the contestants to ensure any concerns are addressed swiftly.’

The spokesperson continued to tell The Sun: ‘Strictly has a proud track record as a joyful, positive experience where robust support and assistance is always made available at every stage of the production.’ 

The Mirror also reported that BBC bosses were left bemused at her requests for the rehearsal footage as Giovanni’s conduct had ‘never crossed the line’.

The publication also reported that after speaking to Giovanni after the PTSD claims, a BBC source added the allegations were ‘excessive’.

According to show insiders, Amanda called for cameras to be put up in rehearsal rooms as she became increasingly unhappy with his attitude. 

After her request, The Sun claims BBC bosses had a meeting with Giovanni over his conduct, but no action was taken. 

A source told the publication: ‘Some of the professionals and crew feel it needs to be dealt with and Giovanni shouldn’t come back this year.  

‘The BBC are standing behind Giovanni and won’t be pursuing an investigation, it’s a shock to some on the show who think something needs to be done about his behaviour.

‘Amanda had a really tough time with him and she isn’t the only one. Four more of his partners have either talked openly about how hard it was working with him or have made it clear in the industry.’

However his Strictly co-stars are said to be rallying around him, with a source telling the Mirror: ‘There is a general feeling that the criticism is grossly unfair.’ 

His former partner Debbie McGee, who he was partnered with on the show in 2017, came out in defence of him on Monday. 

The magician’s assistant, 65, shared a throwback snap of the pair on Instagram, insisting they got on well while working together. 

Debbie captioned the post: ‘Happy memories, Giovanni and I had the best of times on Strictly.’

Twinkle-toed star Giovanni took to the comments section of the post to express his gratitude, writing: ‘Love you … thank you’.

While, Giovanni’s parents also defended him, saying the ballroom dancer ‘was just doing his job’.

Addressing the news at the time, his father Piero and mother Rosalda admitted that their son ‘trained for long hours but was just doing his job’.

Speaking to The Sun, from his home in Italy, Piero said: ‘We are surprised by the fact she left the show, because everything was going ok – we thought they could have won.’ 

He added: ‘My son is a really nice, polite and respectful boy. He always had good results with different partners and he has never had problems with them.’

Rosalda explained: ‘They have to train tough hours to get some results. Giovanni has just done what he had to do. He was just doing his job.’

Giovanni has appeared on Strictly for eight consecutive years and made the final on three occasions, but Amanda is not the first celebrity to criticise his gruelling training style.

In 2016, TV presenter Laura Whitmore said: ‘I’m still not ready to talk in-depth about my experience on the show.

‘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 was really broken, both mentally and physically, by the end.’

Then in 2020, Giovanni fell out with Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh as she admitted to having a ‘total meltdown’ in rehearsals with him.

The ITV presenter told her co-star Kate Garraway she and the dancer had a ’20-minute divorce’ as things became tense in training. 

The Sun also claim that during her show stint, Ranvir ‘flagged an issue during training with Giovanni and said she was unhappy’. 

The year before he was partnered with Amanda, Giovanni was once again plagued by rumours of a feud between him and his partner.

The 2022 series saw him partnered with Richie Anderson, but it was said that the pair ‘hadn’t clicked’ and tensions were rising off camera.

Sources told The Sun at the time that Giovanni was becoming frustrated with Richie not listening to him in rehearsals.

Richie later hit back at the reports and insisted there was ‘no problem’ between them during a joint appearance on spin-off show It Takes Two.

However, according to The Sun, on Sunday night the BBC Radio 2 star unfollowed Giovanni on Instagram, a day after Amanda’s claims became public.

Despite the BBC standing behind Giovanni, it has thrown the show into crisis as bosses fear contestants will refuse to pair up with the dancer in the wake of the rumours.

Show insiders believe Strictly will stand by the dancer but accept finding him a future partner will not be straightforward.

A source told MailOnline: ‘The fallout between Giovanni and Amanda is causing much concern. 

‘Celebrity contestants usually don’t mind which partner they are coupled up with as they’re just happy to be on the show.

‘But Giovanni’s reputation has taken a further hit following Amanda’s experience and they don’t want to be in a position where new contestants may threaten to quit if they’re paired with him.’