Amanda Abbington responds to Strictly boycott calls: "I'm not transphobic"
Abbington posted a video to Instagram responding to social media backlash.
Following the announcement that Amanda Abbington is among the celebrities taking part in this year's season of Strictly Come Dancing, some viewers soon started calling for a boycott of the show in light of her involvement.
Abbington has responded to the calls, saying in a video posted to Instagram that she believes it is due to "a tweet [she] made back in March regarding a drag show".
Abbington said that she "loves[s]" drag, and that it is a "brilliant" art-form, but that her tweet was regarding a "12-year-old who was doing it in front of adults", adding: "Personally speaking, I don't think 12-year-olds should be performing in drag shows in overtly sexual ways."
With some fans criticising her previous comments on Twitter – which has recently been rebranded as X – Abbington said she didn't associate the tweet with the trans community and that she is "not transphobic".
Abbington added: "I'm not a transphobic person, I am a firm supporter of the legitimate trans community, I always have been.
"I would support any trans person who is feeling persecuted or not listened to or not seen, of course I would. I'm not a nasty person, I'm really not. Anyone who knows me knows that I would give you my last tenner if you needed it. I'm not a hateful person. And I support the trans community.
"I also support women's rights and I support the importance of women within society. And I think those two are being really pitted against each other. And what we need to do now more than ever is just make sure that everybody is looking after each other."
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In the video, Abbington also told followers that she had previously made "a stupid comment a few years ago, I can't even remember how long ago it was, but it was a while ago when I was ill-informed and it was a stupid thing to write and I instantly regretted it".
She continued: "I apologised and I did my research, and I'm much more informed now."
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Abbington is amongst six celebrities to have so far been announced for this year's season of Strictly, alongside Angela Rippon, Layton Williams, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Eddie Kadi and Angela Scanlon.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer later this year. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
