Trans activist trolls celebrate Amanda Abbington quitting Strictly Come Dancing as she shuts down Twitter page amid abuse
- Many fans however expressed their devastation that she has left the show
Trans activist trolls have celebrated Amanda Abbington quitting Strictly Come Dancing telling her ‘good riddance’ and calling her ‘transphobic’.
The Sherlock star, 49, left the show after her time on it was ‘plagued by difficulties’. She reportedly shared a poignant post about mental health after pulling out of Saturday’s programme and skipped dancing with partner Giovanni Pernice, 33, due to medical reasons.
Today she has issued a statement saying it is with ‘deepest regret’ that she has left the show and that the decision did not come ‘easily or lightly but for personal reasons I am unable to continue’.
‘I am so sad that I am unable to go further,’ she added on Instagram.
After her exit, fans expressed their devastation and said they would miss her.
But trolls were quick to refer to to her past tweets, including one which saw her react to footage of a Caba Baba Rave, a baby sensory and cabaret show for parents and their babies aged up to 24 months.
On March 2 this year, she was accused of being transphobic after she tweeted: ‘I lost quite a few followers for saying that a semi-naked man in thigh high boots dancing in a highly sexualised way shouldn’t be performing in front of babies and it tells me everything I need to know about where society is heading. How do you not agree with me on this?’
And after quitting strictly, trolls on X, formerly Twitter, have made cruel comments such as ‘thank God I don’t have to watch a visible transphobe on my TV.’
This is despite the fact she deleted her own account on the social media page amid the abuse.
A Strictly insider told Mail Online: ‘This has been something that Amanda has been unfortunately having to consider making since late last week’
Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice on Strictly Come Dancing. After her exit, fans expressed their devastation and said they would miss her
Her time on the show was ‘plagued by difficulties’ (Amanda pictured with partner Giovanni Pernice on the show)
Amanda posted this today, expressing sadness that she is unable to go any further in the show
Amanda previously expressed an opinion about a Caba Baba Rave, a ‘captivating baby sensory’ show
Having seen a person dance in boots and a harness in the Caba Baba Rave clip, Amanda had insisted the performance was ‘not for babies’, adding: ‘If you think it is, there is something fundamentally wrong with you.’
However, Amanda insisted she is an ‘ally of the LGBT community’, adding that her views on ‘sexualised’ drag shows are not related to transgender people.
After she was accused of transphobia, she wrote: ‘I never mentioned the trans community! How on earth is my post transphobic?
‘I’m saying you do not perform that kind of act in front of BABIES. It’s abhorrent.’
At the time MailOnline contacted the BBC and a representative for Amanda for comment.
Today, as she addressed her departure from strictly on Instagram, she said: ‘It is with deepest regret that I had to leave Strictly. I did not come to this decision easily or lightly but for personal reasons I am unable to continue.
‘It was an absolute joy working with my fellow contestants, they are a beautiful, hardworking and talented group of people who I love and who I will miss seeing every Friday and Saturday and competing alongside. I want to thank the incredible Production team and everyone on Strictly who looked after me and who are so kind and caring. It’s a wonderful bunch of people and I’ll miss all of them.
‘I’m so sad that I am unable to go any further. Thank you to everyone who voted and who sent wonderful messages and inspiring support. You are all amazing. Truly. Thank you. xxx’
A montage of Amanda’s best moments on the series was shown, before host Fleur East added: ‘Amanda we are sending you all of our love’
After her posts on the Caba Baba Rave resurfaced in August, Amanda took to Instagram to issue a lengthy video statement, saying: ‘Apparently I’m trending on Twitter. I’m not on Twitter anymore. I left voluntarily because I don’t like it over there anymore.
‘I’m trending because people are going to boycott Strictly and I think it’s because of a tweet I made back in March regarding a drag show.
‘Now, I need to make this very clear. I love drag. I think it’s an amazing form of entertainment and I f***ing love drag queens. I think they’re hilarious and brilliant, and it’s an art form. And I think there’s absolutely a place for it in the entertainment industry.
Read more: ‘Baby drag act’ cancels upcoming shows after backlash – and insists event was never targeted at children but for parents who wanted to have fun with their kids
‘My son played Jamie in Everyone’s Taking About Jamie and he was a wonderful drag queen, he was wonderful in it.
‘But my tweet back in March was regarding a 12-year-old who was doing it in front of adults and it just upset me because I saw a kid, a little kid, a 12-year-old doing something very over-sexualised and I didn’t think it was right.
‘Personally speaking, I don’t think 12-year-olds should be performing in drag shows in overtly sexual ways because they’re 12 and they need a childhood. It’s nice for kids to have a childhood and grow up, and find that out when they’re old enough to really understand it.
‘That was my tweet. I didn’t associate it with the trans community, nor would I associate that with the trans community because I think they’re two separate things.
‘I’m not transphobic, I’m not a transphobic person, I’m a firm supporter of the legitimate trans community, I always have been. I think they have been infiltrated by some people who want to cause damage and want to cause trouble, and pit people off of each other and cause as much harm as possible.
‘But I would support any trans person who is feeling persecuted or not listened to, or not seen, of course I would. I’m not a nasty person.’
The Sherlock star, 49, reportedly shared a poignant post about mental health after pulling out of Saturday’s show
On Monday’s It Takes Two, the show confirmed Amanda’s exit and released a statement that read: ‘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.’
A montage of Amanda’s best moments on the series was shown, before host Fleur East added: ‘Amanda we are sending you all of our love’.
A Strictly insider told Mail Online: ‘This has been something that Amanda has been unfortunately having to consider making since late last week.
‘It has been a devastating time for Amanda. Her Strictly journey has been plagued by difficulties but she just didn’t think there was any other option.
‘As hard as it has been, there was a chance they could have won.’
BBC previously declined to comment when approached by MailOnline.
Fans were sad to see her leave and sent wishes hoping that she was OK.
Many showed their support, saying she was ‘brilliant’ on Strictly and ‘a joy to watch’.
One said: ‘Absolutely devastated that Amanda Abbington has quit #Strictly. One of my faves from week one having not known her before either’
Fans showed their support as Amanda reportedly shared a poignant message to her Instagram Stories on Saturday in a now-deleted post.
She re-shared a quote about mental health from late actor Robin Williams originally posted by an account called ‘positiveminds011’, according to The Mirror.
The poignant quote read: ‘People don’t fake depression… they fake being okay. Remember that. Be kind.’
Amanda has seemingly since deleted the post, as it is no longer featured on her Instagram Stories.
MailOnline has contacted representatives for Amanda Abbington for comment.
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