ALISON BOSHOFF: Happy ending for Strictly’s Amanda Abbington – and a payout for her stuntman fiancé

Good news for Amanda Abbington and her fiancé, former stuntman and escape expert Jonathan Goodwin; because Goodwin is finally settling her lawsuit against the producers of America’s Got Talent.

Goodwin was paralyzed and nearly died after a horrific accident during rehearsals for America’s Got Talent: Extreme in 2021, where she was trapped between two burning cars.

The producers took legal action against Fremantle and broadcaster NBCU in 2023.

The case has now been dismissed ‘with prejudice’, meaning it cannot go to trial again, but lawyers for all parties signed a settlement last month.

Details are confidential; but sources tell me Goodwin will be offered ‘millions’ in compensation for the crash that ended his career and nearly killed him. The money will also cover their ongoing medical and social needs.

Abbington, 52, said at the time: ‘He fell 30 feet and lost a kidney, broke both shoulder blades, shattered both legs. [He got] He had third-degree burns, a broken spine, a severed spinal cord, and nearly died. And then he almost died again on the operating table.’

He and actress Amanda got engaged on their first date in 2021, just three months before the crash. Her legal case in 2023 coincided with her unhappy time on Strictly Come Dancing, where she claimed she was bullied by professional dancer Giovanni Pernice. The Italian has always denied wrongdoing and some of his complaints were not confirmed by the BBC, although some were.

He said in an interview last year that he and Goodwin had hoped to marry in 2025 but had postponed that until the case was over.

Goodwin’s lawyer, Nicole Anderson, said: ‘The terms of any decision are confidential and neither we nor our client can comment further.’

Goodwin’s lawyer, Nicole Anderson, said: ‘The terms of any decision are confidential and neither we nor our client can comment further.’

Lawyers for NBCU and Fremantle did not respond to requests for comment. Goodwin, 46, was a Britain’s Got Talent finalist in 2019. Two years later, for a performance in the ‘Extreme’ version of the American show, he was strapped into a straitjacket and suspended 20 meters above the ground (upside down) while two cars swung back and forth on either side of him.

In the footage, it can be seen that he tried to push himself up the rope just before the cars collided, but the rope broke and he got stuck between the vehicles. He then fell, lost a safe bed and suffered broken bones and burns.

The Welsh actor filed his lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court in October 2023. His lawyer Stuart Fraenkel said at the time: ‘This is yet another example of the entertainment industry putting profits and ratings ahead of safety.

‘Jonathan will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair because there were inadequate safety measures in place to protect him. He hopes that by making this claim, lessons will be learned, changes will be made and others will not be exposed to unnecessary risks and dangers.’

Goodwin has since started a new career as a hypnotherapist.

She and Abbington started dating five years after she split from her husband, actor Martin Freeman, with whom she has two children.

Last year he reflected: ‘It’s been a strange decade. ‘We’re definitely on a rollercoaster. I was so close to having a breakdown because of the constant barrage of harassment [over Strictly]. Jonathan was amazing. My friends were amazing. ‘My kids were great, but I was trying to protect them from this.’

Zendaya is a goddess but she’s pretty plain

Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and war, is often depicted with a helmet, spear and armor. But here’s Zendaya’s stripped-down approach for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which opens in the UK on July 17.

Matt Damon plays Odysseus, and Zendaya’s husband Tom Holland plays her son Telemachus. In a trailer released this week, Holland attracted a lot of ridicule for saying the (not-so-) immortal line: ‘Daddy’s coming home!’… in an American accent.

‘God help me, this looks bad!’ one viewer (not me) exclaimed. Another said the stacked cast had the grungy air of a group doing community theatre. Ah.

Matt Damon as Odysseus and Zendaya as Athena in Odyssey (pictured)

Hello! Adele makes her acting debut with help from friend J-Law

Adele’s acting debut will be seen at the Venice Film Festival later this year, most likely in late summer.

The 38-year-old singer will star in Tom Ford’s new movie Cry To Heaven, which is expected to premiere at the event.

Part of an all-star cast including Colin Firth, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nicholas Hoult and Thandiwe Newton; He shot his scenes in London and Italy between January and March.

I’m told that throughout this process he was mentored by his old friend, Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, who taught him the basics of working on set and “running scenes” (or rehearsing, as we call it). Apparently, Lawrence spent time with Adele at her £50 million mansion in Los Angeles last year and encouraged her to take up acting.

The source said: ‘Adele and Jennifer have been close for many years. Adele has been a huge support to Jennifer as she deals with pregnancy and motherhood while balancing her career, so it’s only natural that Jennifer would be happy to reciprocate the love.

‘Adele has spent much of the last decade turning down chances to perform in film and television. He was always worried that acting was not his profession and that he would freeze up on the set.

‘Actually, one of the best actresses in the industry has a guru.’

Adapted from Anne Rice’s 1982 novel, the film is set in 18th-century Italy and follows two castrati male singers who are castrated to preserve their perfect soprano voices.

38-year-old Adele will star in Tom Ford’s new film Cry To Heaven, which is expected to premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

And the loser… Bafta is in trouble again after the awards debacle

This year will be a very hot year for Bafta and February will be a month to forget.

The respected charity suffered major discredit after a man with Tourette syndrome made obscene remarks at an awards ceremony on February 22, which were subsequently published.

John Davidson was in the audience to support I Swear, a film about his life with Tourette’s. However, a microphone placed nearby recorded the unintentional outburst.

At least two Bafta members resigned in protest at the insult suffered by presenters Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan, who were on stage at the time.

The charity carried out an independent review and last month issued an ‘unreserved apology to those affected’ (including Tourette patients).

And now it can be revealed that Bafta was reported to the Charity Commission by another angry member after leasing its flashy headquarters in Piccadilly to controversial tech giant Palantir earlier the same month.

While guests inside celebrated the £240 million deal between the Ministry of Defense and Palantir, around a dozen protesters outside voiced their objections to the deal, the party and Palantir itself. The software firm founded by Peter Thiel worked with ICE, America’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Israeli military (the protest in Piccadilly also featured a large pro-Palestinian banner).

It also provides operating systems for Amazon and is taking hostile fire across the Pond toward Monday night’s Met Gala, sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Bezos.

The Charity Commission here confirmed that a complaint had been received, but said after assessment it was deemed there were no regulatory breaches to investigate.

A source said: ‘There was no evidence that the charity’s actions went beyond the usual room rental arrangements.’

A spokesman for Bafta said they were not aware of any complaints to the Charity Commission. He said: ‘The event involving Palantir at 195 Piccadilly in February was not a Bafta-hosted event but an external hire of the venue.’

Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo present the Special Visual Effects Award onstage during the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2026 at The Royal Festival Hall on February 22, 2026 in London

Emma Barnett says the proudest moment of her radio career was helping to rescue a listener who was trapped in her kitchen.

Barnett, who currently presents the BBC’s Today programme, was broadcasting his own show on Radio 5 Live at the time. He recalled: ‘Instead of calling his family and friends, he called me! It was locked and we got it out with the help of a welder or decorator who was listening.’

He added: ‘It was something about the ice cream tub and the knife… I still can’t quite put my finger on it.’

Ant McPartlin said he and Declan Donnelly were joking. I needed to bring some yellow and red cards to the finale of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Considering the amount of friction between Adam Thomas, Jimmy Bullard and David Haye in the last month.

But behind the scenes, all was sunshine and brightness… at least for Dec, who was enjoying the kind of financial growth that would please a plutocrat. The net assets of his company, Deecourt, rose to £35.8 million from £34.4 million the previous year. Ant closed its related company (Teecourt Ltd) in 2020. went through divorce.

December enjoys the kind of financial growth that would please a plutocrat

According to songwriter Linda Perry, who fronts alt-rock band 4 Non Blondes, there would be no contender to rival James Blunt in The Traitors. Perry, who signed her to his record label and helped produce her debut album, said: ‘I’ve never met anyone so ready to belittle himself. That’s part of its appeal. He is very much against James-Blunt.’

Filming for the second version of Celebrity is underway in the Highlands and the show is due to premiere in October.