LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Sherlock' star Amanda Abbington has deleted her Twitter account and clarified her stance on transgender individuals. The 49-year-old actress shut her account on X, formerly known as Twitter, in response to backlash regarding her selection for the most recent season of 'Strictly Come Dancing' on BBC.
Abbington was one of the first celebrity contenders named for the dancing reality program, but she was soon chastised for her controversial remarks about transgender people. According to Deadline, numerous fans reportedly vowed to boycott the program, and others even referred to the actress as a "TERF" or trans-exclusionary radical feminist.
'I am not a transphobic person'
The news that Amanda Abbington deleted her X account in response to criticism is currently making the rounds in the media, and many people are curious as to why. But the actress has clarified her version of events in a statement
Abbington responded to the controversy in a video on Instagram with the subject "A few thoughts on my Twitter Strictly boycott," The controversy, according to her, was caused by a tweet she made in March in which she expressed disapproval of a video showing a drag performer acting in a "highly sexualized way" in front of children. In the video, the actress said, "I’m sorry if you feel like you would boycott Strictly for a tweet I made about a drag show." She claimed that her remarks had nothing to do with the trans community. "I am not a transphobic person, I am a firm supporter of the legitimate trans community. I always have been," she detailed.
The 'Sherlock' actress continued by saying that "some people" have "infiltrated" the trans community and "want to cause damage" to advance the cause. "What we need to do now more than ever is just make sure that everybody is looking after each other. It’s f*****g toxic out there. It’s horrible," she remarked.
Who is Amanda Abbington dating?
Amanda is currently dating ex-Britain's Got Talent daredevil and escapologist Jonathan Goodwin. They met on Twitter in 2012 when Amanda was still dating Martin Freeman, as per METRO and several other sources.
Amanda and Martin separated in 2016 after 16 years together. Joe, 17, and Grace, 15, are the former couple's two children. "I had thought Martin was the love of my life," Amanda told Red Magazine at the time of their split. "This wasn't meant to happen to us." Metro noted that the former couple, who met in 2000, lived together for years and even became parents, but unlike their 'Sherlock' characters, never walked down the aisle.
It wasn't until August 2021 that Amanda and her current boyfriend Goodwin started speaking routinely online and exchanging phone numbers. Amanda claimed to The Guardian: "I was on him like a rat up a drainpipe. I had fancied him for a few years…I was like a giddy schoolgirl, constantly messaging him while he was at work."
They ultimately met in Vienna at the end of that month, and they were engaged within half an hour. However, while Jonathan was filming in the United States, a stunt on the TV show 'America's Got Talent: Extreme' went awry. He nearly died and was permanently paralyzed. In a voice message sent to Amanda prior to his operation, her partner expressed his love for her and thanked her for the months they had spent together while also warning her that there was a 50% chance he wouldn't survive. They now reportedly share a home in Hertfordshire.
