Amanda Abbington broke down in tears as she spoke about the toll of receiving ‘brutal, relentless and unforgiving’ threats from fans of Strictly Come Dancing.
The Sherlock actress has previously made accusations about the teaching methods of her Strictly partner, Giovanni Pernice, who has since left the BBC show.
Pernice has strongly denied her claims of ‘unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean’ behaviour.
Abbington was interviewed by Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy, who was a competitor on the same series as her, in a video published on X.
Struggling to fight back the tears, the Doc Martin star said the aftermath of Strictly was ‘brutal, relentless and unforgiving.’
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She then clarified she was referring to ‘rape threats towards not only myself, but my daughter and the threats of death to my son.’
Abbington shares teenage children, son Joe and daughter Grace, with her ex The Hobbit star Martin Freeman.
Asked if it was from Strictly fans, she agreed and also alleged the behaviour came from supporters of Pernice, 33.
She said she wants to encourage people who feel ‘bullied’ or are in a situation they feel is ‘toxic and unsafe’ to complain, despite the backlash she has allegedly received.
Abbington said: ‘I know it happened because it happened to me. I am not a sensational person… I’m not hysterical. I don’t make things out to be bigger than they are.
‘I know what happened to me in that room wasn’t acceptable. I complained about it and sort of have not been taken seriously.
‘We have to cultivate a society and an environment where women can come forward and say, ‘yeah’… or men because it happens to men as well, ‘I’m finding this uncomfortable. Can you do something about it?’ And then something be done about it? That’s all.
‘And I think, we need to be brave and I want to stand up for any woman, any woman who feels that they don’t have a voice or be there for her championing her and say, “Yeah, I’ve got you.”‘
There has been a storm of negative stories about the culture on the BBC’s flagship programme and the treatment of contestants.
Abbington said that she knows of ‘three other women’ who went through something similar during their Strictly Come Dancing experiences and there is ‘potentially’ more people coming forward.
Graziano Di Prima left the show over allegations he ‘kicked and hit’ Love Island star Zara McDermott and said he ‘deeply regrets’ the events that led to his departure.
More claims against dancers have since emerged, and the BBC have introduced drastic new measures to support celebrities’ welfare on the show, including having chaperones in rehearsal rooms.
On Tuesday, BBC director-general Tim Davie apologised to contestants who have had an experience that ‘hasn’t been wholly positive’, and maintained the show would return.
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