Amanda Abbington’s fiancé appears to have sparked rumours of a new Strictly 2023 “feud” with her professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice.
Britain’s Got Talent star Jonathan Goodwin, who has been dating Amanda since 2021, isn’t following Giovanni on Instagram, while the professional dancer has also failed to follow him too.
The apparent “snub” comes after reports that the BBC show was in chaos after Amanda threatened to quit due to Giovanni’s “aggressive behaviour” during training.
Strictly 2023: More ‘feud’ rumours
A source previously alleged to The Sun: “He is quite militant in his approach to training. She’s been left very shaken, and has liaised with her team about quitting. It has become far more stressful than she ever imagined and at the moment things between them are incredibly tense.”
However, Amanda took to Instagram to shut down the reports. In an expletive-filled rant, she said: “Ignoring the [bleep] because clearly people are [bleep]s. Just stop it, stop it, grow up. No one gives a [bleep]. Shut up, it’s [bleep], so [bleep] off.”
Earlier this week, the pair addressed claims they’re not getting on, admitting it has been “difficult”.
Speaking to host Janette Manrara on Strictly: It Takes Two, Amanda said Giovanni is a “good teacher”. “He’s really disciplined and he tells me like it is, and I need that because I found out that I’m actually quite lazy,” the actress explained.
After Janette asked: “You’re getting along like a house on fire in rehearsals, right?” Amanda said they “laugh a lot” and “have the same sense of humour”.
Giovanni then added: “We do have a good time. But at the same time it’s a difficult process. Especially for people who have never done Strictly before. I always say it’s a marathon not a sprint. The first few weeks, it is difficult. It’s a lot of hours to train, it’s a lot of hours you have to concentrate.”
Who is Amanda’s fiancé Jonathan Goodwin?
Amanda and stunt performer Jonathan met through social media. They first connected in 2012, with Amanda admitting: “We were both in relationships at the time, but we admired each other’s work and occasionally liked each other’s tweets.”
The pair became romantically involved and were chatting online for a month before he flew to Vienna to meet her in person for the first time in August 2021. They got engaged within half an hour of meeting each other.
Jonathan is now in a wheelchair after a stunt went terribly wrong last year and left him paralysed.
Amanda explained: “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.”
Amanda was previously in a long-term relationship with her Sherlock co-star Martin Freeman for 16 years, before splitting in 2016. They share children Joe, 17, and Grace, 15,
ED! has contacted reps for Amanda, Giovanni and Jonathan for comment.
Read more: Giovanni Pernice fans fuming amid backlash over his Strictly partnership with Amanda Abbington
Strictly is on Saturday (September 30) at 6.20pm on BBC One.
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