The partner of Amanda Abbington is suing America’s Got Talent after an accident on the show left him paralysed.
Former stunt performer Jonathan Goodwin now uses a wheelchair after he almost died when a stunt went wrong on America’s Got Talent: Extreme in 2021.
This week Jonathan, from Pembrokeshire in Wales, filed the lawsuit against the US show-makers.
Amanda Abbington partner sues AGT
His lawyer Stuart Fraenkel said: “This is yet another example of the entertainment industry putting profits and ratings before safety.
“The producers and staff working on this show could have taken a number of simple steps to ensure Jonathan’s safety.
“Instead, the production was rushed, chaotic and staffed by a team that lacked the necessary expertise and experience.
“Jonathan will be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life because there were inadequate safety practices, protocols and procedures in place to protect him. He is bringing this claim to bring attention to an ongoing lack of safety problem in the entertainment industry.
“He hopes that by bringing this claim, lessons will be learned, changes will be made and others in the future will not be exposed to unnecessary risks and danger.”
What happened to Jonathan?
Jonathan was a Britain’s Got Talent finalist in 2019. Two years later he was performing a stunt on America’s Got Talent: Extreme.
During rehearsals, Jonathan was suspended upside down from 70ft while wearing a straight jacket.
His aim was to avoid getting crushed by two swinging cars suspended on either side of him and instead fall onto an air mattress below.
But as the swinging cars got closer and he tried to jump up the rope, the cord snapped, sandwiching Jonathan between the vehicles.
The cars then burst into flames, with Jonathan trapped, and he was airlifted to hospital.
Last year Strictly star Amanda said: “He fell 30ft and lost a kidney, broke both shoulder blades, shattered both legs.
“Third degree burns, broke his spine and severed his spinal cord and nearly died. And then on the operating table, he nearly died again.”
Her partner will be a wheelchair user for the rest of his life. He has since retrained as a hypnotherapist and recently said: “It’d be very easy for me to look at my situation and be like, ‘Woe is me, I’m so unlucky…’
“Or I could look at my situation and be like, ‘Oh my God, I’m so lucky. I got a second chance. I can still cuddle my daughter, kiss my fiancée, sip a margarita and watch the sunset.’
“That second chance at life is something that I am incredibly grateful for every day.”
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How did Amanda and Jonathan meet?
Amanda and Jonathan, now 43, first connected in 2012 through social media.
Amanda, who was previously in a long-term relationship with Sherlock co-star Martin Freeman, said: “We were both in relationships at the time but we admired each other’s work.”
Almost ten years later and the pair became romantically involved after chatting online for a month.
Jonathan flew to Vienna to meet Amanda for the first time and they got engaged within half an hour of meeting each other.
Fremantle Media has said it does not comment on litigation matters.
Read more: Amanda Abbington’s fiancé sparks rumours of a ‘feud’ with Giovanni Pernice amid claims of a ‘snub’.
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