In a recent interview featured in The Sunday Times, the Sherlock actress candidly discussed the challenging and unpleasant nature of her time on the BBC show, which led to her departure from the 2023 series after only a few weeks.
Initially attributed to medical reasons, her sudden exit sparked speculation of conflicts with her dance partner and former Strictly champion Giovanni Pernice, who has subsequently been removed from the upcoming 2024 series.
The mother-of-two, who shares Joe, 18, and Grace, 16, with her Sherlock co-star and former husband Martin Freeman, accused Giovanni of inappropriate and bullying behavior.
She lodged a formal complaint about his conduct with the BBC, alongside similar grievances reported by two other unnamed contestants who had previously been partnered with the Italian dancer.
“I feel very vulnerable but, at the same time, I feel very emboldened to make a change,” she told the publication. “I’m stronger than I thought I was. I could quite easily have just buried my head in the sand and not said anything. But I didn’t.”
The Italian dancer is being investigated for “serious workplace misconduct” amid the claims from his former dance partner, though he has been quick to deny any allegations on social media.
In a statement in May, he told his Instagram followers: “To my dear fans, You will be as surprised as I am that allegations have been made about my dance teaching methods in the media this week. Of course, I reject any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour, and I look forward to clearing my name.”
Amid the ongoing investigation into Giovanni’s behaviour, Amanda left social media due to being viciously trolled for speaking out about her experience.
In tears, she added: “It’s been awful, just relentless. Death threats and rape threats for just standing up for something that I thought was wrong.”
Giovanni’s exit from the show comes as fellow professional dancer Graziano Di Prima was also made to hang up his dancing shoes due to misconduct allegations over his “training regime”.
In a statement following his dismissal, the Italian professional dancer said: “I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly. My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime. Respecting the BBC HR process, I understand it’s best for the show that I step away.”
