Amanda Abbington has said she was relieved about her cancer scare because it meant that she could quit Strictly Come Dancing . The Sherlock star, 50, pulled out of the BBC One show last year, citing medical reasons at the time. In the months since, she has filed complaints of verbal bullying and harassment against her professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice during her time on the show .
He has denied any wrongdoing. In a new interview with The Sun , Abbington recalled how she found two lumps in her breast during her “final week” on Strictly before she quit. The actor said that although she’d received an “all-clear” after a mammogram a few months before, she could not concentrate during rehearsals.
Abbington said that she told Pernice: “I’m going to go to the hospital now because I found two lumps in my breast this morning,” to which he allegedly replied: “Let me know how it goes.” She said that the moment gave her an excuse to leave Strictly . “It was the catalyst I’d been sort of waiting for, which is terrible,” she said.
“But that’s what I was thinking, that it was a healthier option than being in that room.” Abbington said that there was a part of her that thought: “OK, I have to deal with this now instead. Phew.
” The lumps she discovered were benign. The Independent has contacted a representative for Pernice for comment. The result of the BBC’s months-long investigation into Pernice’s conduct was announced earlier this week.
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