Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke has reflected on Amanda Abbington's sudden exit insisting her departure from the competition is 'terribly sad'.
The BBC ballroom judge appeared on This Morning to discuss her shocking exit after it was announced this week she would not be returning due to 'personal reasons'. Amanda was partnered with Giovanni Pernice on the BBC competition, and the pair missed last weekend before announcing she was quitting the show for good.
Anton told hosts Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond: “That’s terribly sad. [She was] terrific. She could have made it all the way to the final. I thought she was very, very strong."
He added: “Maybe she could come back next year.”
Amanda, 48, issued a statement citing “personal reasons” as the cause of her departure, writing: “It is with deepest regret that I had to leave Strictly. I did not come to this decision easily or lightly but for personal reasons I am unable to continue.”
She continued: “It was an absolute joy working with my fellow contestants, they are a beautiful, hardworking and talented group of people who I love and who I will miss seeing every Friday and Saturday and competing alongside.”
A Strictly insider told MailOnline about Amanda's withdrawal: "This has been something that Amanda has been unfortunately having to consider making since late last week.
"It has been a devastating time for Amanda. Her Strictly journey has been plagued by difficulties but she just didn't think there was any other option. As hard as it has been, there was a chance they could have won."
The pair were reportedly struggling in their partnership, with Amanda said to be left feeling miserable over his "aggressive training style and attitude" during their training sessions. A source revealed that Giovanni is a "hard taskmaster and takes the competition very, very seriously".
"Sometimes his manner is incredibly brusque and this can upset his partners. Amanda was really looking forward to dancing with him, but has found his aggressive training style and attitude pretty difficult to handle," the insider told The Sun.
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