Amanda Abbington fumes 'women aren't listened to' after poignant show return
EXCLUSIVE: Strictly's Amanda Abbington vowed to continue speaking out for "women who have no voice" after sinister death threats were made against her.
Critics had expected Amanda Abbington to crumble after a troll threatened to have her killed onstage - and then a disturbing claim that the theatre could be "bombed" followed.
However, when she chatted to Express.co.uk after Tuesday night's starring performance in the play When It Happens To You, she made it clear nothing was about to dim her shine. Amanda grinned broadly from ear to ear as she clutched a bouquet of flowers and revealed that the play is "one of the best things she's ever done".
Earlier, police had been called over a vile email warning her she would "die onstage" if she didn't retract her complaint about her 2023 Strictly dance partner, Giovanni Pernice. It is understood that additional malicious troll attacks have also been made, including a threat to "bomb" the theatre - and security had to be ramped up to ensure her safety.
Amanda was adamant that the story she was re-enacting - about a woman whose teenage daughter's violent rape brings back memories of her own attack at a similar age - was too "important" to shy away from. "It's based on a true story and it needs to be told. I think women aren't listened to enough," she declared earnestly.
Viewers might wonder whether the tearful, heartwrenching scenes as mother and daughter relive their trauma might be difficult for Amanda, as someone who had so recently been through her own ordeal. She withdrew from Strictly after just a few weeks for medical reasons, later stating that she'd suffered PTSD and alleging that Giovanni's training technique had been "harsh" and "unnecessarily cruel".
However, she says her experience in rehearsals - contested by Giovanni, who has denied all claims of wrongdoing - hasn't impacted how she's played her character.
Asked if she's exorcising her own trauma onstage, she replied: "No! God, no, I don't ever put the two together.
"It's my job - and it's very important to me. I like to speak for women who haven't got any voice."
Asked whether she's opted to forgive Giovanni, she simply laughed - but she made it clear that she's now moving on to the next chapter of her life, and intends to make it a rewarding one.
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Clad in a bright red Women's Aid T-shirt at the afterparty, she was supported by a throng of warm and supportive friends.
These included Les Dennis, who raved to Express.co.uk about how her "powerful" portrayal of the character had "blown his socks off".
Other former Strictly stars who were present included Krishnan-Guru Murthy, while EastEnders Cindy Beale actress Michelle Collins and This Morning's Dermot O'Leary also showed up to support her.
Amanda revealed that it was especially "nerve-wracking" to take part in Tuesday night's show as the writer of the play, Tawni O'Dell - who'd had the traumatic experiences she wrote about in real life - was in the audience.
