The actor Amanda Abbington has denied being transphobic and apologised for “stupid” and “ill-informed” past comments, following a social media storm over her joining the new Strictly Come Dancing lineup.
Abbington, best known for TV shows including Sherlock and Mr Selfridge, was the first star to be announced for the BBC celebrity dancing show last week, alongside the broadcaster Angela Rippon and the journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy, among others.
But some fans of the show claimed on social media that they would boycott it over Abbington’s inclusion. The actor had previously tweeted her disapproval of a drag show aimed at parents with babies, calling it “abhorrent”. She also wrote: “You cannot have a penis and be referred to as a woman.”
Following the backlash, Abbington, 49, posted a lengthy video on Instagram where she clarified her stance.
“I need to make this very clear,” she said. “I love drag. I think it’s an amazing form of entertainment and I fucking love drag queens. I think they’re hilarious and brilliant … it’s an art form and I think there’s absolutely a place for it in the entertainment industry. My son [Joe Freeman] played Jamie in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and he was a wonderful drag queen.”
Her tweet about drag in March, she explained this week, was “regarding a 12-year-old who was doing it in front of adults. And it just upset me because I saw a kid, a little kid, a 12-year-old, doing something very over-sexualised. And I didn’t think it was right.
“And that was my tweet. I didn’t associate that with the trans community, nor would I associate that with the trans community, because I think they’re two separate things. I’m not transphobic. I’m not a transphobic person. I am a firm supporter of the legitimate trans community; I always have been.”
She said she would support any trans person who was feeling persecuted or not listened to or seen, as well as supporting women’s rights and the importance of women within society. “I’m not a nasty person, I’m really not. Anyone who knows me knows that I’d give you my last tenner if you needed it,” she said.
The actor added that she came off Twitter, now called X, due to the atmosphere on the social media network, which she said had been infiltrated by those who wanted to “pit people off of each other and cause as much harm as possible”.
In what is believed to be a reference to her “you cannot have a penis … ” comment, Abbington said: “I made a stupid comment a few years ago. I was ill-informed. I apologised and did my research and I’m much more informed now. I’ve said stupid things, of course I have, and instantly regretted them. Everybody is learning.”
She joked that her main reason for joining Strictly was to embarrass her two children with her former partner and Sherlock co-star Martin Freeman.
Abbington received support from the 2009 Strictly competitor Laila Rouass, who said Abbington always chose “love”.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to screens this autumn and will be judged by Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse.
In 2022, the British wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin lifted the glitterball trophy alongside the professional dancer Jowita Przystał.
