'Sherlock' Star Amanda Abbington Receives Death Threat

Police are investigating an alleged death threat sent to actress Amanda Abbington . Officers were called to London's Park Theatre, where the Sherlock star is currently starring in the play When It Happens to You , on Friday, Aug. 2 after Abbington reportedly received an "alleged malicious communication" stating she would "die on stage" if she did not withdraw her complaint about her former Strictly Come Dancing partner Giovanni Pernice .

"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," Park Theatre said in a statement, per the BBC . "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."

According to The Sun , officers interviewed Abbington at the scene and also retrieved IP data linked to the email. A source told the outlet that the actress "was left absolutely terrified, shaken and very disturbed by the incident. It's been horrendous, especially as she is performing in a small intimate venue where the audience are within touching distance of those performing. That's why the theatre is taking this threat incredibly seriously and decided to involve the police."

At this time, a suspect has not been arrested, and an investigation into the threat is ongoing. The Daily Mail reported Thursday that Abbington has since been interviewed by officers twice, and police visited her home Wednesday. A source close to the investigation told the outlet that "specialist officers have been looking at the email closely over the last 72 hours, and now believe they are close to identifying where it was sent from." The source added that police "are treating it as a very serious and very credible threat and want to unmask the person behind it."

Abbington previously revealed that she has received numerous "brutal, relentless and unforgiving" threats , including "rape threats towards not only myself, but my daughter and the threats of death to my son," ever since coming forward with her claims against Pernice, who she was paired with during the 2023 season of Strictly . Although Abbington said she initially withdrew from the show for "personal reasons," she later revealed that she was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and said she found Pernice's behavior "unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean." Pernice was axed from the show and has denied all allegations against him. He is currently at the center of a BBC probe.