Amanda Abbington Plots TV Comeback on Major ITV Show After Explosive Strictly Scandal

Amanda Abbington has opened up about where she’d love to pop up next – and it’s not where you might expect. After her rather rocky stint on Strictly Come Dancing and all the headlines that came with it, the 51-year-old actress has hinted that a seat on the Loose Women panel could be calling her name.

She’s been keeping busy with theatre roles since her time on Strictly – and the much-talked-about fallout with Giovanni Pernice – but a jump into daytime telly could be next. Amanda admitted she’s a big fan of the show and the women on it.

“Yes, totally. It’s nice to have women’s views on things, and I think as long as we don’t paint ourselves as miserable old hags,” she said, reported the Mirror. “I think women of a certain age tend to get painted as miserable and moaning and complaining, and I think it would be good to get up there and have fun. They’re great women, and I know a few of them, like Denise [Welch], I love her.”

Swapping Hollywood dreams for a more grounded path, Amanda also said she’s got zero interest in making it big in the US, unlike her ex Martin Freeman, who’s made a splash across the pond in everything from The Hobbit to Fargo. For Amanda, the LA lifestyle just isn’t appealing.

“No, I don’t really want to go to America. I like my career here, and I’m happy to do theatre and telly here, and just be,” she said. “I’m a bit of a homebody. I like to be at home with my family and friends – America has never really appealed to me. It’s just not my cup of tea, especially now.”

That said, she’s still got big goals. A Bafta is on the dream list – though she insists she’s not acting for the silverware. “That’s what I’m working towards. That’s the dream. It would be lovely, but I won’t do it for the award. I love acting, and I love telling stories, and if that comes with it, then that’s a happy bonus. It would be lovely, but I think if you are doing it for that [a Bafta], then you are doing it for the wrong reasons.”

She’s taken on some heavy material recently too – last year she starred in When It Happens To You, where she played the mother of a rape victim. And now she’s appearing in (This Is Not A) Happy Room, a dark drama about a dysfunctional family that’s already drawing comparisons to Saltburn.

While her career is thriving, Amanda recently revealed that her wedding plans have hit pause. She’s been engaged to former stuntman Jonathan Goodwin since 2021, but their big day has been pushed to 2026 due to what she described as “litigation,” reportedly involving Jonathan. Despite the delay, she called him her “rock and heart.”