Amanda Abbington breaks silence after BBC Strictly final snub amid Giovanni feud

After it was announced that she won't be attending the Strictly Come Dancing final, Amanda Abbington has now broken her silence and shared a message to the finalists.

The actress, 51, was part of this year's Strictly line-up but she pulled out of the competition for "personal reasons" in October, just weeks after making her debut on the dance floor with partner Giovanni Pernice.

It's since been revealed that Amanda won't be present at the Strictly grand finale on Saturday, 16 December, with no reason yet given for her absence. A BBC spokesperson said: "Amanda decided to withdraw from the competition; therefore, she will not be returning for the final."

Amanda has now broken her silence, having taken to Instagram on Saturday morning to share a supportive message to three couples competing in the final show; Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell, Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin and Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola.

"Good luck tonight to these six beautiful humans," Amanda wrote with three red heart emojis alongside a photo of the finalists posing with the Glitterball trophy.

Amanda will be the only Strictly star absent from the final, with the eliminated contestants all returning as well as Nigel Harman, who also had to pull out of the competition. Nigel, 49, and partner Katya Jones had to withdraw just hours before quarter-final due to Nigel sustaining a serious injury.

It's been confirmed Nigel and Katya will be at the final alongside their fellow co-stars. A spokesperson told the Mirror: "Nigel Harman will be returning for the final of Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday 16th December, he will be featured in the show alongside other 2023 cast members. He had to leave the competition early due to sustaining an injury, therefore will not be performing in the final."

This means Giovanni will be the only Strictly pro without his celebrity partner at the grand finale and he will presumably take to the dance floor alone.

Amanda's absence from the final comes amid rumours of a 'feud' between her and Giovanni, who she failed to mention in her departure message to fans after news of her exit broke.

Releasing a statement on why she chose to step away, Amanda said she was forced to withdraw due to "personal reasons" and thanked the production team and "everyone on Strictly" but did not mention her dance partner.

Meanwhile, Giovanni shared a picture of him and Amanda in festive outfits on Instagram, writing: "I am so sad we can't continue but I am proud of what we achieved and I am sending you so much love."

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