Sherlock star, Amanda Abbington, has delayed her wedding until 2026 after what she says has been one of the worst years of her life.
The actress, 51, is still dealing with the fallout from the Strictly Come Dancing scandal in which she quit the BBC show in 2023 before accusing her professional partner, Giovanni Pernice, of bullying during rehearsals.
The broadcaster ended up apologising to Amanda after upholding some of her less serious claims against the Sicilian. However, the actress says was "very close to having a breakdown" as the dance show drama rumbled on.
Thankfully, the mum-of-two had her partner, Jonathan Goodwin, to support her. She began dating the Britain's Got Talent stunt man after splitting up with fellow Sherlock star, Martin Freeman.
However, sadly, Jonathan suffered life-changing injuries in 2021 during rehearsals of America’s Got Talent: Extreme, which Amanda said along with Strictly made it feel like they were “definitely on the rollercoaster”.
Amanda told The Times that the couple had been set to tie the knot in 2025, but have moved it to 2026 due to “litigation”, which the newspaper claims is regarding Goodwin.
In 2023, the daredevil filed a lawsuit against the producers of America’s Got Talent: Extreme after he was crushed between two burning cars while hanging upside down, leaving him paralysed in a stunt that went tragically wrong. Amanda, meanwhile, has previously not ruled out taking legal action against the BBC.
Speaking about 2024, during which the actress says she was sent death threats as well as vile comments about her children on social media, Amanda said: “Last year was one of the worst years of my entire life. I was very close to having a breakdown because of the constant barrage of abuse and hideousness."
The actress left Strictly two years ago before accusing professional dance partner, Giovanni, of bullying her backstage. Amanda's complaints prompted an investigation by the broadcaster, which ended up largely exonerating Giovanni from the allegations.
However, the BBC did issue an apology to Amanda after confirming some of her accusations, including Giovanni's use of swear words and belittling language towards the mum-of-two.
Commenting on the investigation's conclusion at the time, Amanda said: "As the BBC has indicated today in its statement, my decision to come forward and complain about Giovanni Pernice’s conduct towards me was not an easy thing to do. In the days, weeks and months since I contacted the BBC, I’ve been accused of being a liar, a troublemaker and of being 'mad and unstable'.
"I’ve also received rape and murder threats and a bomb threat was sent to my place of work. My family and children have also been subjected to threats and intimidation. Despite this vile abuse, I’ve never regretted coming forward, and today’s apology from the BBC is a vindication of my complaint."
