Giovanni Pernice, 34, was seen back in London over the weekend, beaming and interacting with fans as he prepared for his upcoming return to British television. The Italian dancer was spotted leaving a dance class in South West London on Sunday, where he appeared in high spirits, giving a thumbs up and blowing kisses to his admirers.
Dressed in an all-black outfit, Giovanni opted for a black leather jacket over a casual black T-shirt and tracksuit bottoms. He completed his ensemble with a black New York Yankees baseball cap and black trainers, chatting with friends as he made his exit.
The Strictly Come Dancing star’s appearance comes amid news of his much-anticipated return to UK television.
Despite stepping away from the BBC’s flagship dance show earlier this year due to allegations of bullying, Giovanni showed no signs of concern as he headed back to Italy, where he is currently starring in the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing.
The star was spotted smoking a cigarette as he wheeled his suitcases toward the airport, ready to return for training with his celebrity partner, Bianca Guaccero.
In an exciting development for fans, it was revealed last week that Giovanni is set to feature in a special Strictly Come Dancing episode celebrating the show’s 20th anniversary. The celebratory episode, which is set to air in December, will reportedly feature “iconic performances and familiar faces from the past and present”.
Giovanni is expected to appear alongside Rose Ayling-Ellis, his former dance partner who made history as the first deaf contestant to win the glitterball trophy.
A source told The Sun: “Giovanni made history when he won with Rose so footage from their emotional silent performance is set to feature.”
Although there’s speculation about whether Giovanni will make a live appearance during the episode, the BBC has yet to confirm the details. However, one former Strictly professional, Graziano Di Prima, is not expected to appear. Graziano was reportedly dismissed from the show after an incident involving his celebrity partner, Zara McDermott, during training last year.
Responding to the buzz around the anniversary special, a representative for Strictly told MailOnline: “Editorial decisions about what the final show will include haven’t been finalised yet.”
Giovanni’s return to the British screen comes after the BBC cleared him of the majority of bullying allegations raised by his former celebrity partner, Amanda Abbington. Although the BBC upheld six of the 16 claims, including accusations of bullying and harassment, Giovanni was cleared of most allegations.
The BBC did acknowledge that some of Giovanni’s feedback toward Amanda could be seen as overly negative, which led to an apology from the show’s bosses.
Amanda, who abruptly quit the show in week five of last year’s series, had accused the dancer of ‘mean’ and ‘cruel’ behaviour, citing personal reasons at the time.
Adding to the excitement of his return, Giovanni has also been confirmed for Channel 4’s Celebrity Hunted. According to The Sun, the show was filmed in 2022 but was shelved due to the bullying allegations. Now, it is expected to air in January 2025, after bosses decided to reschedule rather than cut Giovanni’s scenes.
