Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice still follow each other on Instagram amid Strictly feud rumours

Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice still follow each other on Instagram, despite the rumours of a feud between them that continue to swirl.

Questions have been raised about the relationship between the actress and the professional dancer, who were paired on last year's BBC Strictly Come Dancing when Abbington suddently quit in October, citing "personal reasons".

Now, the BBC have allegedly given their support to Pernice, after Abbington reportedly inisted she was given recordings of the couple's dance training sessions as she claims she is now suffering from Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder (PTSD) after her time on the show.

The Sherlock and Mr Selfridge star, aged 51, is said to be seeking legal advice as a result of treatment on the show and what happened with 33-year-old Pernice. But, BBC bosses are said to be backing the pro dancer. They are said to have arranged a call between Giovanni's management and Strictly executives where they offered him their full support and asked him about his mental health amid the falling out, according  to The Sun.

But, NationalWorld found this morning (Wednesday January 10) that the pair still follow each other on Instagram, and also still both have photos from their time on Strictly on their page which have complimentary captions about each other.

So, what has allegedly happened between Abbington and Pernice? Plus, what have the BBC said? Here's what you need to know.

What has supposedly happened between Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice?

Abbington and Pernice have supposedly fallen out following disagreements they had while they were dancing together during Strictly Come Dancing 2023.

The actress and mum-of-one, who was formerly married to fellow actor Martin Freeman, was said to struggle with Pernice's strict and intense approach to dance training. The show sees the professional dancers teach their celebrity partner a new ballroom or latin dance each week before they perform it in front of a live audience, and the judges and the TV audience at home, every Saturday night.

It has reportedly taken months for her to recover from her Strictly stint and it is believed she has needed therapy following the "behaviour she was exposed to".  It has also been claimed Abbington reportedly asked the BBC for rehearsal footage to highlight her ex dance partner's "tense" and "full-on" training methods, which supposedly caused her PTSD and a lot of upset.

Pernice joined the BBC show in 2015 and holds the record for earning the most number of perfect 10s in its history - a total of 98 over eight series. He has also been partnered with the likes of actress Georgia May Foote, TV presenter Laura Whitmore, singer Faye Tozer and media personality Debbie McGee. He won the famous Stricly glitterball in the 2022 series alongside actress Rose Ayling-Ellis.

Reports of a feud between Abbington and Pernice started when the pair were still in the 2023 competition, but they were heightened when she did not mention him in her farewell statement and her fiancé Jonathan Goodwin shared a cryptic post to Instagram.

Abbington is not the first celebrity partner to criticise Pernice's training style. In 2018, TV presenter Laura Whitmore said: 'I'm still not ready to talk in-depth about my experience on the show. I was placed with a dance partner I was extremely uncomfortable with and in the end, I felt broken, I cried every day. And I was really broken, both mentally and physically, by the end."

There has, however, been support for Pernice. McGee showed her support for him with a social media post of her own - prompting Pernice to thank her. On both X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram, McGee shared a photo of herself and Pernice smiling when they were partnered together on the show in 2017.

"Happy memories," McGee wrote. "Giovanni and I had the best of times on Strictly." He replied: "Love you … thank you," followed by a series of love heart emojis.

Abbington has allegedly been forced to limit who can comment on her Instagram page following backlash she received from fans of Pernice because of her claims against him.

What have Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice said about their alleged feud on Instagram?

Neither Abbington nor Pernice have commented publicly about the supposed feud between them, but at the time the feud rumours started they each appeared to try to shut them down by posting about each other on their respective Instagram pages.

Following a week of absence due to medical reasons prior to her permanent departure from the show in October, Abbington posted an image of herself and Pernice on the dancefloor with the caption: "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR LOVE, KINDNESS AND SUPPORT. It truly means the world to read all your beautiful and heartfelt messages! Honestly. I’m very humbled by it all. You’re all so LULLY!!! See you next week when we cha-cha-charge into Saturday (I’m sorry. Please still vote for us). @giovannipernice thank you! Ya beauty."

At the time, Pernice replied and called Abbington a "legend" adding "let's do this partner".

On the day of Abbington's departure, Pernice posted a tribute to her on his page alongside a photo of him cuddling her backstage, with the two grinning at the camera. He wrote: "Amanda ... I am so sad we can’t continue but I am proud of what we achieved and I am sending you so much love @amanda_abbington74 @bbcstrictly."

Both of these posts are still on Abbington and Pernice's pages at the time of writing (on Wednesday January 10).

What has the BBC said about the supposed feud between Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice?

The Mirror reported that BBC bosses were bemused by Abbington's requests for the footage of her training sessions with Pernice, as they believe he has "never crossed the line". The publication also reported that after speaking to their pro-dancer after the PTSD claims from the actress, a BBC source added the allegations were "excessive".

In a statement, a spokesperson for the BBC said: 'The BBC offers a comprehensive range of support to all individuals taking part in our shows. Strictly Come Dancing has always taken duty of care incredibly seriously and there is a constant dialogue between senior members of the production team and the contestants to ensure any concerns are addressed swiftly.'

The spokesperson went on to tell The Sun: "Strictly has a proud track record as a joyful, positive experience where robust support and assistance is always made available at every stage of the production."