Amanda Abbington ‘broke down in tears’ when receiving a standing ovation during her return to the stage after making a string of damning allegations against Strictly Come Dancing.
The Sherlock actress, 50, quit Strictly after five weeks last year, claiming that her experience on the BBC series left her with PTSD after working with Giovanni Pernice, 33.
Last month Amanda alleged she found the professional dancer’s approach ‘unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean’ and said she complained over concerns he ‘could do that to other people’.
The Italian dancer has vigorously denied the allegations.
After leaving the show, Amanda became emotional when making her debut performance in a production of When It Happens to You.
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The show is based on a memoir by New York Times’ best-selling author Tawni O’Dell and follows ‘the powerful true story of a mother desperately trying to hold her family together after a devastating event changes the course of their lives’.
The show also ‘mines the depths of human courage and the resolve to survive following a shattering incident’ – a daughter’s brutal rape by a stranger who broke into her home.
The show premiered at the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park on Wednesday night, with theatregoers explaining how emotional things became at its conclusion.
Following the first performance of the month-long run, Amanda received a standing ovation from audience members who simultaneously wiped away tears from their eyes after her emotive performance.
Amanda herself broke down in tears when the crowds stood on their feet to applaud the cast, as reported by The Mirror.
Speaking to the publication, one audience member praised Amanda for her professionalism amid the ongoing controversy surrounding her time on Strictly Come Dancing.
‘We all know that Amanda is an incredible actress, but tonight has been almost a religious experience,’ they said.
‘To see her perform live, knowing about everything she has on her shoulders at the minute and everything that has been weighing her down, it’s amazing how she managed to keep her emotions in check in such a moving play.
‘It’s almost as if she could sympathise with the character she plays in this. Truly marvellous.’
Another shared: ‘Given all that she has been through, Amanda put on one hell of a performance tonight.’
Meanwhile, another said they were left in ‘floods of tears’.
Following the performance Amanda was also photographed smiling for cameras, posing in a black T-shirt that had a defiant message.
On the back it read: ‘Quiet no more.’
In an interview ahead of the show, Amanda said it was a story ‘about love and overcoming adversity’ and how she ‘couldn’t put it down’ when first reading the script.
Last month Amanda shared the intensity of the backlash she’d received since reporting the alleged behaviour she was subjected to by Giovanni.
‘I’ve had the worst experience. The show was tough and horrible, but the aftermath of it, I was not expecting. It’s been really brutal and it just hasn’t stopped,’ she told The Times.
‘It’s been awful, just relentless. Death threats and rape threats for just standing up for something that I thought was wrong.’
Strictly Come Dancing returns to the BBC later this year.
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