Fears Amanda Abbington could quit Strictly Come Dancing

Amanda Abbington may be forced to pull out of Strictly Come Dancing after missing Saturday’s live show.

Actress Amanda Abbington had to withdraw from this weekend’s live show due to illness.

On Friday night during spin-off show It Takes Two, host Janette Manrara said: “We have some breaking news; unfortunately, due to medical reasons, Amanda will not be taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this weekend… Amanda, we hope you get well soon, my love, sending you all the best wishes.”

Strictly Come Dancing has specific protocols in place, meaning that if all goes well, Amanda and her professional partner Giovanni Pernice are expected to make a return to the dancefloor next week.

However The Sun reports that there are concerns Amanda may not be well enough to return to the series in time for next Saturday.

Amanda and Giovanni had been set to perform a Cha Cha in last night’s show.

Without her, the remaining eleven contestants took the dance floor where Layton Williams once again topped the leaderboard with an impressive series high of 39 points. Layton delivered an electrifying salsa performance alongside his professional partner Nikita, dropping just one mark during the routine.

At the other end, Eddie Kadi, who narrowly escaped elimination last week, found himself in a vulnerable position this time with 24 marks for his Samba. Just above him was Annabel Croft, whose Charleston received 27 marks from the judges.

Another celeb will be eliminated on tonight’s show, when the results airs from 7:15PM on BBC One.

The recent episodes saw Paralympic champion Jody Cundy become the latest celebrity to be sent home after the third dance-off of the series. He followed in the footsteps of broadcaster Nikita Kanda and TV personality Les Dennis, who were also voted out of the competition.

Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday and Sunday evenings on BBC One.