Amanda Abbington hits back at trolls after Strictly exit and says ‘you never know what someone else is going through’

By William On Oct 31, 2023

She was a firm favorite with viewers before deciding to quit Strictly Come Dancing last week.

And now Amanda Abbington has attacked online trolls after her departure and urged everyone to ‘be kind’, saying you ‘never know what someone else is going through’.

The 49-year-old actress, who left the BBC competition for ‘personal reasons’, said people were saying ‘terrible things’ about her on social media.

Despite the abuse, she said she is ‘very well’ and revealed she is currently taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) which has ‘changed’ her life.

For the first time since her dramatic departure from her radio show Boogaloo, she told listeners to think about the power of their words because they could “push people over the edge.”

Speaking out: Amanda Abbington has hit back at trolls after Strictly departure, saying ‘you never know what someone else is going through’ a week after her departure

Quit: The actress, 49, who worked with Giovanni Pernice, left the BBC competition due to ‘personal reasons’

“My thing right now is ‘be kind,’ it’s always been ‘be kind,’” she said.

“It’s, ‘You don’t know what someone else is going through, you have no idea what’s going on in their life, so before you say something hateful or cruel, just check yourself.’

She added, “It takes so much more energy to be hateful, to be horrible, when you just can’t say anything or anything positive.

‘We live in a world where you can say whatever you want on your laptop, phone and social media without any reproach, and you have no idea what that comment can do to someone. It can push someone over the edge to do that. something and God knows we have to take care of each other.”

Amanda, who sparked speculation of a split from dance partner Giovanni Pernice, 33, when she failed to mention him in the Instagram post announcing her departure last week, said it was yet another post promoting online hate.

The actress said sharing an Instagram story about the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry was the catalyst for a barrage of negative comments aimed at her this week.

“I naively posted this on Instagram, thinking people wouldn’t be horrible about it, but of course there were people who were horrible about me and said really horrible things about me,” she said.

Backlash: The actress said sharing an Instagram story about the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry was the catalyst for a barrage of negative comments aimed at her this week

Speculation: Amanda, who sparked speculation of a rift with dance partner Giovanni Pernice, 33, when she failed to mention him in the Instagram post announcing her departure last week

Despite facing the cruel trolling, Amanda said she felt good after three months of HRT.

She said menopause treatment had “changed” her life and left her “bounced around like you wouldn’t believe.”

She said: ‘Three months and I’m not joking and I’m not being dramatic, but it has changed my life.’

Amanda has two children with ex-partner Martin Freeman, who she divorced in 2016 after 16 years together. She is now engaged to retired stunt performer Jonathan Goodwin.

She spoke about going through menopause in 2021 and said doctors initially misdiagnosed it as depression.

She said one of the main symptoms she suffered from was painful joint pain in her wrists, hips and knees.

Last week, Amanda told her followers that it was with ‘deepest regret’ that she had to withdraw from Strictly due to ‘personal reasons’.

She wrote: ‘It is with the utmost regret that I had to leave Strictly. I did not come to this decision easily or lightly, but for personal reasons I cannot move forward.

‘It has been an absolute pleasure working with my fellow competitors, they are a beautiful, hardworking and talented group of people who I love and will miss seeing and competing together every Friday and Saturday.

Speculation: Amanda thanked her team in an exit statement this week, but fueled rumors of a feud with Giovanni by not naming the dancer

‘I would like to thank the amazing production team and everyone at Strictly who looked after me and who are so kind and caring. They are a great bunch of people and I will miss them all.

‘I’m so sad that I can’t continue. Thank you to everyone who voted and sent wonderful messages and inspiring support. You are all wonderful. Really. Thank you. xxx’.

Giovanni later took to his Instagram and shared a backstage photo with Amanda during Movie Week.

He captioned the photo: ‘Amanda..I’m so sad we can’t continue but I’m proud of what we’ve achieved and sending you so much love.’

Q&A: What is HRT? by Thea Jourdan

WHAT IS HRT AND WHAT DOES IT DO?

HRT does the job of estrogen, whose levels plummet after menopause. Women usually take a combination of synthetic estrogen and a second hormone, progesterone.

‘Most women in Britain use combined HRT because using estrogen alone can increase the risk of developing womb cancer,’ says Kathy Abernethy, chair of the British Menopause Society. ‘Oestrogen-only HRT is usually only given to women who have had their womb removed.’

ARE THERE RISKS TO CONSIDER?

A major 2002 US study conducted by the Women’s Health Initiative USA was the first to raise alarm bells that HRT could lead to an increased risk of heart disease and breast cancer. As a result, many doctors stopped prescribing it overnight.

But the research turned out to be flawed: the average age of the women in the study was 63, while the risk of breast cancer is increasing anyway, and half smoked.

“The risks were overestimated for women in normal menopause between the ages of 50 and 60,” says Kathy. ‘For most women under 60, and for many over 60, the benefits of HRT are clear.’

DOES HRT REALLY CAUSE CANCER?

Any risk comes with longer use, Kathy says.

Cancer Research UK says there is strong evidence that HRT can cause breast, uterine and ovarian cancer, but the risk is low compared to other risk factors. To put it into perspective, while minimizing HRT could prevent 1,400 cancer deaths per year, maintaining a healthy weight could prevent 13,200 cancer deaths and quitting smoking could prevent 22,000 cancer deaths.

ARE THERE OTHER SIDE EFFECTS?

‘Women taking HRT may have side effects including breast tenderness, headaches, nausea, indigestion, abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding,’ says Professor Kamila Hawthorne, vice-chairman of professional development at the Royal College of GPs. Taking HRT in the form of tablets (not patches or gels) may slightly increase the risk of blood clots.

WHO SHOULD NOT GET HRT?

Those with a personal or family history of hormone-sensitive cancers, such as ovarian and breast cancer, and women who have had deep vein thrombosis. High blood pressure should be controlled before starting HRT.

WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES?

Non-hormonal options include Tibolone (Livial), derived from the Mexican yam, which mimics estrogen. Blood pressure medication Clonidine, which affects the dilation of blood vessels, can relieve hot flashes and night sweats.

Bioidentical hormones, derived from plant estrogens and prescribed by private clinics, are said to be similar to human sex hormones. But the NHS does not recommend these because they are not regulated.