Strictly fans set to boycott show amid Amanda Abbington backlash
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Some Strictly Come Dancing fans have declared their intentions to boycott the 2023 series, after actress Amanda Abbington was announced as the first celebrity joining this year's line-up.
The BBC confirmed the Sherlock star as a contestant on the hit dancing show during last Friday's The One Show (August 4).
News of her participation was also shared by the show's official Twitter account, with a video unveiling the star, alongside the caption: "Ready to take centre stage on #Strictly, our first celebrity of 2023 is actress Amanda Abbington!"
🪩 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
Related: Strictly Come Dancing announces sixth celebrity for 2023 contestant line-up
Strictly fans were quick to react to the post, with her casting dividing opinion online. Some hailed Abbington as a "great contender already" and "a fantastic choice", whilst others stated that they'd be "definitely giving it a miss" on account of her comments previously voiced, supposedly regarding gender representation.
On Sunday night (August 6), the actress responded to the Twitter backlash in an Instagram video message.
Abbington began by introducing herself, and revealed the reason for her video was because of her "trending on Twitter".
"Apparently, I'm trending on Twitter because people are going to boycott Strictly, and I think it's because of a tweet I made back in March regarding a drag show," she said.
Related: Strictly's Dianne Buswell joined by Carlos Gu and Nancy Xu for hair change
Abbington claimed the tweet was regarding a "12-year-old who was doing [drag] in front of adults and it just upset me".
"I need to make this very clear, I love drag and I think it's an amazing form of entertainment and drag queens are entertaining and brilliant," she added, before going on to relay the incident.
According to Metro, the video in question contained footage from a baby sensory and cabaret show for parents and young babies. It showed a person performing to the crowd in boots and bondage wear.
Abbington had tweeted in a follow-up response to her original tweet at the time: "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?"
Related: Strictly's Karen Hauer flooded with praise after sharing health update
Abbington reiterated her own personal viewpoint in her Instagram message on Sunday, stating: "Personally speaking, I don't think 12-year-olds should be performing in drag shows in overtly sexual ways because they're 12."
She claimed that she didn't associate the tweet "with the trans community" because she thinks they're two separate things.
"I'm not transphobic, I'm not a transphobic person, I am a firm supporter of the legitimate trans community," she added.
Despite declaring herself a trans ally, Abbington's use of the word 'legitimate' was criticised by trans organisations. Support group Bristol Leading Against Transphobia tweeted: "If you’re using the word 'legitimate' in front of a minority community, then you are gatekeeping as to who you feel is and isn’t part of that community which wreaks [sic] both privilege and arrogance, especially if you claim to be an ally for that community."
Abbington later clarified what her perceived definition of 'legitimate' was in the video's comment section, writing: "I mean [legitimate] in the sense that there are people who will absolutely take advantage of the trans community for their own benefit.
"Like with every community, there will be some individuals who aren’t in it for the right reasons. That’s what I mean. There is a hijacking going on and it’s affecting the trans community."
Abbington admitted that the drag show tweet was not the first instance where her comments have caused a backlash. In the same video message, Abbington said she's made a "stupid comment a few years ago", saying she was "ill-informed".
She claimed to regret that comment, having since apologised and adding she "did [her] research" around the subject matter.
While Abbington did not directly reference the remarks she had previously made, in 2020 she said she wanted to "profoundly apologise" for an "ill-informed and profoundly hurtful" comment about trans people, the Daily Mail reported at the time.
According to the publication, the actress replied to a since-deleted post by Father Ted screenwriter Graham Linehan, asking about friendships people had lost "because of your beliefs".
The Daily Mail claimed that Abbington, in response, alleged she had been "hounded off Twitter" and "repeatedly been accused of being a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) for simply wanting to have a dialogue about it".
The publication reported that Abbington "then asserted that people who are born male cannot be referred to as the opposite sex, suggesting it’s 'patriarchy gone insane'".
In her Instagram video message on Sunday, Abbington went on to call out online commentary, branding it "toxic".
"What we need to do, more so now than ever, is just make sure that everybody is looking after each other because it's f**king toxic out there. It's a horrible place if you let it be," she said.
"So I'm sorry if you feel you need to boycott Strictly for a tweet I made about a drag show."
In the wake of the online backlash, the Strictly contestant also confirmed that she's "not on Twitter anymore", clarifying that she "left voluntarily".
Before signing off, Abbington also clarified why she'd been banned from Twitter three times – claiming it was because of going "after trophy hunters", calling them "all sorts of names" for killing animals.
Abbington will join fellow celebrities Angela Rippon, Layton Williams, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Eddie Kani and Angela Scanlon on the dance floor for the 2023 series of Strictly.
More contestants are expected to be confirmed in the coming days.
Strictly Come Dancing and Strictly: It Takes Two will return to the BBC this autumn.
You Might Also Like
