Celebrity Hunted's Giovanni Pernice Strictly controversy and celeb romance
Former Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice will be returning to our screens for the first time since his departure from the dance contest. He will be appearing in the new season of Celebrity Hunted where he will be running from expert hunters.
Kicking off on Sunday, January 5, at 9pm, the celebrities must outwit The Hunters who are a handpicked team of top police and military personnel, armed with the powers of the state, which include live CCTV, ANPR, GPS positioning, drones, tracker dogs, mobile phone monitoring, publicity campaigns and motorbikes.
Italian-born Giovanni, 34, left Strictly following an investigation into his behaviour following allegations made by his dance partner and Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington. He was cleared of the majority of the allegations but the BBC issued an apology to Ms Abbington after some of her complaints were upheld. For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter
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The dancer went on to appear on the Italian version of Dancing with the Stars, Ballando con le Stelle, and won the competition. In the latest series of Celebrity Hunted, he will be paired with friend Kai Waddington on the Channel 4 show.
Speaking about the series to The Sun's TVBiz column, Giovanni said: "It's exciting to be back on British TV. It's been too long!" He added: "It was super stressful. Me and Kai are the best of mates, but I'm very competitive and he is not at the same level as me when it comes to competitiveness. In fact, you will see we split up. I was thinking, 'I want to win this', but Kai was thinking about where we could stay that was nice."
There is speculation about a budding romance between Giovanni and actress and singer, Bianca Guaccero, who he partnered with on Ballando con le Stelle. Their chemistry was palpable during a recent Rumba routine as Bianca began the dance alone atop a box, with Giovanni initially positioned behind her, facing away.
Clad in a red and black lace silk dress reminiscent of a nightgown, Bianca approached Giovanni as their dance commenced. At the end of their routine, Giovanni turned Bianca towards him and planted a passionate kiss on her lips.
Just days after the pair were crowned the winners, it appears that they have made a major decision about taking their romance further. Bianca, took to Instagram to reveal the bold step they had taken which came with no going back. In view of her 897,000 followers, she shared a string of loved-up snaps of the happy couple.
One image saw the happy couple kissing one another before Bianca went on to reveal that they had gone on to be tattooed with the date they won Ballando con le Stelle. Captioning her upload, the actress penned: "21/12/2018. And how could we ever forget that date that YOU made Irreplaceable. Thank you for everything. Merry Christmas to everyone!"
But it appears she made an apparent dig at his Strictly partner, Amanda Abbington. Bianca continued: "I wish you to always be able to go beyond the unpleasant things in life and the envy of those who try to dominate or discredit you. Smile and dream on... against all odds... Make it as. as. as possible. Do it Intensely. Never lose sight of the goal. This is how your path can never be stopped. This has always been my secret. This day is yours. I love you."
