Giovanni Pernice speaks out after Amanda Abbington leaves Strictly
Strictly Come Dancing’s Giovanni Pernice has broken his silence after it was confirmed that his dance partner Amanda Abbington would not be returning to the show.
The news of Amanda’s exit comes after she missed out on performing during Saturday night’s show due to ‘medical reasons’.
Now that it has been revealed that Amanda won’t be back to compete on the dancefloor, Giovanni has spoken out about the Sherlock star’s early exit.
He took to Instagram to share a tribute to his dance partner alongside a snap of the pair hugging as he wore a Christmas jumper and she donned matching pyjamas.
Pernice shared the snap to his 1M followers and wrote, “Amanda.. I am so sad we can’t continue but I am proud of what we achieved and I am sending you so much love @amanda_abbington74 @bbcstrictly”.
Many fans of the Strictly pair headed to the comments to share their disappointment that they would no longer be taking part in the competition.
One commenter wrote, “Gutted to be losing you, Gio. Was looking forward to having you back for Halloween! Sending love!”.
“Oh! No. I’m gutted. Loved you both”, penned a second fan.
Another added, “Such a shame, you were a great pairing”.
It was confirmed by Fleur East during last night’s It Takes Two that Amanda would be leaving the series.
She explained, “Amanda Abbington is unable to continue in Strictly Come Dancing and has decided to withdraw from the competition. The show wishes her all the best for the future”.
Last Friday, Janette Manrara announced that Abbington would not be dancing on Saturday’s show due to ‘medical reasons’ during It Takes Two.
Janette revealed, “We have some breaking news, unfortunately due to medical reasons, Amanda will not be taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this weekend”.
“Strictly Come Dancing protocols mean that all being well, Amanda and Giovanni will return the following week. Amanda we hope you get well soon my love, sending you all the best wishes!”.
During Saturday’s live show, Claudia Winkleman also mentioned that Amanda would be missing for the night by saying, “Now as you may have noticed Amanda and Giovanni are missing from the line-up. Due to medical reasons, Amanda is unable to perform this week”.