Amanda Abbington breaks silence following Strictly Come Dancing withdrawal for 'medical reasons'

The post featured a picture of the late comic Robin Williams with the quote: "People don't fake depression... they fake being okay. Remember that. Be kind."

Abbington also liked the post on the Instagram account before sharing it to her Stories.

Strictly fans rushed to social media to wish Abbington well after It Takes Two host Janette Manrara broke the news of her withdrawal for the first time on Friday's show.

"We have some breaking news," Manrara told It Takes Two viewers. "Unfortunately, due to medical reasons, Amanda will not be taking part in Strictly Come Dancing this weekend.

"Strictly Come Dancing protocols mean that all being well, Amanda and Giovanni will return the following week," she continued.

Manrara signed off while blowing a kiss: "Amanda, we hope you get well soon my love! Sending you all the best wishes."

And Strictly hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly echoed the BBC's stance and Abbington's withdrawal within the opening few minutes of this weekend's Strictly.

"Now as you may have noticed Amanda and Giovanni are missing from the line-up," Winkleman said once all of the contestants had been introduced to the adoring crowd.

"Due to medical reasons, Amanda is unable to perform this week," Winkleman added before Daly weighed in: "As per the rules of the competition, she's been given a bye and all being well will return to the ballroom next weekend.

Winkleman prompted a raucous show of support from the crowd and her fellow cast mates when she signed off: "Amanda, we are all sending you so much love."

Abbington - who's fallen victim to savage "boycott" calls by some irked Strictly fans for her trans views as well as been embroiled in a favouritism row due to her dance choices - should return to the contest in Week Six.

However, the same can't be said for Eddie Kadi who - despite earning a score of 10 from Shirley Ballas earlier in the series - was booted off the show this past weekend.

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Kadi and Karen Hauer faced off against Zara McDermott and Graziano di Prima in the dance-off on Sunday evening having finished at the foot of the leaderboard.

In what was an unexpected turn of events given expert analysis prior to the show, McDermott retained her spot in the competition following the judges' votes.

The judges voted unanimously to save McDermott after she faced her second dance-off of the series - previously seeing off Week Two casualty Nikita Kanda.

McDermott broke her own silence after being saved once again by the judges as she penned an emotional and lengthy statement on Instagram: "Being in the dance-off for the second time was definitely not the easiest moment of our Strictly journey so far.

"I think I let those nerves get the better of me during our performance, and I knew I could have done better. I definitely felt like I let myself down when I walked off the dance floor, as I knew I could have pushed through those jelly legs a bit more, both physically & mentally!

"But.. the main thing is that we are so grateful to the judges for saving us. I’m just not ready for this journey to be over, and the thought of leaving last night broke my heart.

"I’ve made a promise to myself & Graz that this week I am going to work on controlling those nerves, and not letting them get in the way of me doing my BEST!

"This week we will come back even stronger than before and I’m ready to be pushed out of my comfort zone to prove that I can take on that challenge, turn the negatives into positives, learn from the judges' comments and keep strong, even through the moments that feel the toughest.

"Dancing is my life at the moment, and I really don’t want that to change any time soon. It’s time to work even harder and believe in myself just that little bit more. Thank you to my partner for always believing in me, even in those moments where I doubt myself!!

"And on the plus side, we got to do the angel lift again, which is a win because we worked really hard on perfecting it and we really wanted to be able to do it again." (sic)