STRICTLY star Amanda Abbington has requested footage of her rehearsals with partner Giovanni Pernice following a row between the two.
The actress, 51, wants to review the footage after leaving the show while seeking legal advice.
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Amanda Abbington had a nightmare on Strictly Come DancingCredit: Pixel8000
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Amanda is looking for hours of footage of her practicing with Giovanni Pernice that could support her claims about the professional dancer’s alleged behaviorCredit: Eroteme
She believes hours of footage of them practicing could support her claims about the professional dancer’s alleged behavior towards her.
The Sherlock star left the show in October citing medical reasons – and a source revealed she has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
It comes after her time with 33-year-old Giovanni, who is considered a “perfectionist”, was marred by a series of rows.
A set source said: “The BBC has received a request for the footage they have of Amanda and Giovanni. It is known as a data subject access request. There is a feeling that the footage will reveal what really goes on behind the scenes on Strictly. Things can get very tense at rehearsals.
“Giovanni is a perfectionist and can be incredibly full.”
A friend said Mr Selfridge actress Amanda needed months to recover from her time on the dance show.
They said: “Amanda has been left heartbroken and saddened by the whole experience. She needed therapy and was left in shock because of the behavior she was exposed to.
“It took her months to get over what she went through. It was a real shock because at first she was so excited to sign up for the show to learn how to dance, but instead she experienced an ordeal.
“Everyone else was having a fantastic time, but she was really stressed about having to spend eight hours a day with Giovanni. She spent a lot of time crying and couldn’t sleep or eat properly.”
After her departure, there was still no way out, the friend claimed.
They continued: “She also received a lot of negativity on social media for not mentioning Giovanni in her exit message, which took a mental toll.
“Thankfully, family and friends rallied around her and she is focusing on future projects and trying to put the whole nightmare behind her.”
Before she left on October 21, the pair’s live performances were positively hailed by judges and audiences alike, with Amanda seen as one of the favorites for the Glitterball Trophy.
It was reported at the time that they first clashed over their intense training schedule, with Amanda struggling with the Italian’s “aggressive style and coaching attitude”.
A source said that Amanda met with the producers and told them that the rehearsal process was difficult for her.
Last weekend, the Sun on Sunday revealed that Strictly bosses had not invited Amanda to perform again in the show’s final – unlike actor Nigel Harman, who also pulled out for medical reasons.
Sicilian-born Giovanni, who won in 2021 alongside EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, has also reportedly fallen out with some of his previous celebrity partners.
In 2016, former Love Island host Laura Whitmore admitted she “cried every day” and felt “uncomfortable” while training with him.
Giovanni has just split up with Laura’s friend, former Coronation Street actress Georgia May Foote.
Laura said she inadvertently ended up “in the middle of someone’s breakup.”
She later wrote: “I’m still not ready to talk in detail about my experience on the show.
“They put me with a dance partner that I was extremely uncomfortable with and I ended up feeling broken, I cried every day. And I was really broken, both mentally and physically, until the end.”
In another interview, she added: “What I didn’t like was that I was away from everyone and that I had to spend 12 hours a day with that one person.
“It wasn’t about dancing. I just wanted to dance.
“I didn’t want to play red carpet games with your dance partner and stuff, which a lot of people thought you should do.”
Giovanni is also reported to have “feuded” with TV and radio host Richie Anderson in 2022.
He is also said to have fallen out with Good Morning Britain star Ranveer Singh in 2020.
Amanda, who has two children with former Hobbit actor Martin Freeman, is now engaged to Britain’s Got Talent stuntman Jonathan Goodwin.
In a previous interview, she said: “I liked him for a few years. I was shooting in Vienna and had a little break. I was like a giddy schoolgirl constantly texting him while he was at work.”
A BBC spokeswoman declined to comment.
The Sun approached Amanda for comment on Sunday.
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Before Amanda left on October 21, the pair’s live performances were positively hailed by judges and audiences Credit: PA
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