Police investigate Amanda Abbington ‘death threat’

Police are investigating a reported death threat sent to actress Amanda Abbington.

She received an email warning she would “die on stage” unless she retracted a complaint about her former Strictly Come Dancing partner Giovanni Pernice, according to the Sun newspaper.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said officers were called to the Park Theatre in London – where Abbington is starring in a play – on Friday over an “alleged malicious communication”.

No one has been arrested and enquiries are ongoing.

Abbington, who dropped out of the BBC series in October, has lodged a formal complaint about Pernice’s behaviour, which has led to further allegations about behaviour backstage on the production.

The Sherlock actress previously said she first raised concerns with producers on her third day in rehearsals with Pernice.

The dancer, who has now left the show, has previously denied any accusations of abusive or threatening behaviour.

Last week, Abbington said she and her daughter had received “rape threats”, while “threats of death” had been made towards her son.

The actress told Channel 4 News she had received “brutal, relentless and unforgiving” online abuse on a daily basis since making allegations about her time on Strictly.

The BBC has said it takes allegations “extremely seriously” when raised, and has “appropriate processes in place to manage” them.

On Saturday, television presenter Laura Whitmore said issues she tried to talk about during her time on Strictly eight years ago are “all coming out now”.

In an interview with the Irish Times, the former Love Island host added she had been “gaslit to make it seem normalised”.

In a statement, Park Theatre said: “We can confirm we received a threat on Friday afternoon, which we reported to the police. We are assisting them in their inquiries and we are hopeful that it will be quickly resolved.

“Central to everything we do is creating a safe and welcoming venue, and we take the safety of our staff, artists and patrons very seriously. We are confident in our security arrangements at the venue, and any steps we take will be in line with this.”

Abbington’s representatives declined to comment. BBC News has approached Pernice’s representatives for comment.