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.’