Amanda Abbington reveals she’s been forced to delay wedding until 2026 after Strictly scandal & ‘worst year of her life’ liennhi

   

AMANDA Abbington has been forced to delay her wedding until 2026, following the Strictly scandal and 'worst year of her life'.

The actress, 53, has been engaged to former daredevil Jonathan Goodwin since 2021.

Amanda Abbington on Newsnight.
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Amanda Abbington revealed she's delayed her weddingCredit: BBC
Amanda Abbington and Jonathan Goodwin on the Lorraine TV show.
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The actress has been engaged to Jonathan Goodwin since 2021Credit: Rex
Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice dancing.
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Amanda dancing with Giovanni Pernice on Strictly in 2023Credit: BBC

Amanda told The Times she and her fiancé planned to wed in 2025, but delayed their nuptials to next year due to "litigation", which, according to the publication, is about Jonathan.

She said: "Last year was one of the worst years of my entire life.

"I was very close to having a breakdown because of the constant barrage of abuse and hideousness.

"And you just think, "How can I refuel the positivity?". And Jonathan was amazing.

"My friends were amazing. My kids were wonderful, though I was trying to shield them from it."

She began dating former Britain's Got Talent star Jonathan five years after her "painful" split from Martin Freeman.

Amanda had been in a relationship with Sherlock co-star Martin - with whom she shares two children - for 16 years before their shock break-up in 2016.

After knowing each other for a few years, Amanda and Jonathan got together in 2021 after talking online.

Amanda took part in Strictly in 2023, where she was partnered with Giovanni Pernice.

The BBC conducted a probe last year into allegations she made about her former dance partner.

My Strictly ordeal with Giovanni was so toxic I was relieved when cancer scare meant I could quit, says Amanda Abbington

In their report - which was released in September - the BBC upheld six of the 17 complaints Amanda made and apologised publicly to her.

Sources said that those upheld related to verbal bullying and harassment.

But the most serious allegations of physical aggression were not upheld.

Elsewhere, Amanda and Jonathan met for their first date in Vienna, where she was filming, and he proposed within 30 minutes of their first hug.

Just a few weeks later, Jonathan's life changed forever when, while filming America's Got Talent: Extreme that October, one of his stunts went horrifically wrong.

During rehearsals, while trying to escape from a straitjacket suspended upside down 30ft in the air, he was crushed between two suspended burning cars before falling to the ground, landing on his head.

Jonathan needed emergency surgery and sustained third-degree burns, internal organ injuries, fractures to his ribs, legs and shoulders and lost his left kidney. 

He was left paralysed by the incident.

 

Amanda remained firmly by his side, with the experience bringing them even closer.

The couple later moved to Hertfordshire together, and have continued to see their relationship grow.

Amanda Abbington and Jonathan Goodwin on the Lorraine TV show.
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The couple began dating after Amanda's split from Martin FreemanCredit: Rex
Amanda Abbington on the Lorraine TV show.
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Amanda opened up about the "worst year of her life"Credit: Rex