Strictly 2023 star Amanda Abbington has broken her silence on fans ‘boycotting’ the series after it was announced she was taking part.
The Mr Selfridge and Sherlock star was announced as the first contestant for this year’s Strictly, which is set to begin this autumn.
However, after the news broke that Amanda would be doing the show, there was backlash on Twitter.
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Amanda Abbington on Strictly 2023
Amanda said the boycott has happened because of a tweet she made in March about a drag show. Back in March, Amanda had tweeted: “I lost quite a few followers for saying that a semi-naked man in thigh high boots dancing in a highly sexualised way shouldn’t be performing in front of babies and it tells me everything I need to know about where society is heading. How do you not agree with me on this?”
What was Amanda’s tweet?
It came after she spoke out against footage from a baby sensory and cabaret show for parents and their babies. It showed a person dancing in boots and bondage harness. Amanda said at the time that the show was “not for babies” and said that “if you think it is, there is something fundamentally wrong with you”.
Speaking in a video shared to her Instagram on Sunday evening (August 6), Amanda said: “I just wanted to quickly come on because apparently I’m trending on Twitter. I’m not on Twitter anymore, I left voluntarily because I don’t like it over there anymore.
“But apparently I’m trending because people are going to boycott Strictly and I think it’s been because of a tweet I made back in March regarding a drag show.”
She continued: “Now I need to make this very clear, I love drag, I think it’s an amazing form of entertainment. I [bleeping] love drag queens, I think they’re hilarious and brilliant and it’s an art form.
“I think there’s absolutely a place for it in the entertainment industry. My son played Jamie in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and he was a wonderful drag queen.
“But my tweet back in March was regarding a 12 year old who was doing it in front of adults. It just upset me because I saw a kid, a little kid, doing something very over sexualised and I didn’t think it was right.”
Strictly 2023 backlash
Amanda went on: “Personally speaking, I don’t think 12 year olds should be performing in drag shows in sexual ways because they’re 12 and they need a childhood and grow up and find that out when they’re old enough to really understand it.
“That was my tweet. I didn’t associate it with the trans community, nor would I associate that with the trans community because I think they’re two separate things.”
Amanda went on to insist she’s “not transphobic” and is a “firm supporter” of the trans community. She also said she would always support the trans community.
🪩 Ready to take centre stage on #Strictly our first celebrity of 2023 is actress Amanda Abbington!
👉 https://t.co/axyiVet8yF pic.twitter.com/9f5sksKMeg
— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) August 4, 2023
What else did Amanda say?
Amanda concluded her video message saying: “I’m not a hateful person, I support the trans community and I also support women’s rights. I support the importance of women in society and I think those two are being really pitted against each other.
“What we need to do more than ever is make sure everybody is looking after each other. It’s [bleeping] toxic out there. It’s a horrible place if you let it be.”
Amanda said: “I’ve said stupid things, of course I have, and instantly regretted them. Everybody is learning. So sorry if you feel you have to boycott Strictly for a tweet I made about a drag show but I don’t think 12 year olds should be doing overly sexualised drag acts.”
Amanda insisted she’s “genuinely sorry” if people feel they can’t watch Strictly.
Many fans offered their support to Amanda. One person said: “Don’t apologise. You have more supporters than those who’ll be boycotting Strictly believe me.”
Another wrote: “I rarely watch Strictly, but I will make an absolute point of watching this season purely because you are on it!”
Read more: Strictly Come Dancing contestants for 2023 – sixth name announced!
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