Here’s why Amanda Abbington is missing from tonight’s Strictly Come Dancing line up.
Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington has been forced to withdraw from this evening’s live episode of Strictly Come Dancing and therefore won’t be performing.
The announcement was made on Friday night during the spin-off show It Takes Two on BBC Two.
Host Janette Manrara conveyed the news, explaining the situation was due to “medical reasons” and expressing well wishes for Amanda’s recovery.
In a statement, a show spokesperson said: “Due to medical reasons, Amanda Abbington will not be participating in Strictly Come Dancing this weekend.
“Strictly Come Dancing protocols mean that, all being well, Amanda and Giovanni will return the following week.”
Amanda and her professional partner Giovanni were slated to perform a Cha Cha to “Canned Heat” by Jamiroquai for the fifth round of live performances tonight.
Amanda is among the twelve contestants still in the running on this year’s show, which includes Angela Scanlon, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Bobby Brazier, Zara McDermott, Angela Rippon, Eddie Kadi, and Annabel Croft. The group also features Ellie Leach, Nigel Harman, Adam Thomas, and Layton Williams.
This news follows the elimination of Paralympic champion Jody Cundy, who became the latest celebrity to exit the competition. Previous eliminations included broadcaster Nikita Kanda and TV personality Les Dennis.
While Amanda will be sitting the show out, the other celebs will continue to perform as planned and one more will leave on Sunday night.
As ever, the judges will mark the routines with the scores combined with the viewer votes to determine the bottom two. The unlucky celeb who is eliminated will miss out on next weekend’s Halloween special.
Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturday night from 6:35PM on BBC One. Viewers can also stream the series on the BBC iPlayer.
The show returns Sunday with the results at the later time of 7:15PM. Alongside the dance-off, Sunday’s show will include a new professionals group routine and a special musical performance.
