Strictly Come Dancing fans spotted an absence during this weekend's live show for the annual Halloween special.
It was the traditional spooky show on week six of the BBC One dance contest on Saturday night and the remaining 11 couples attempted to impress with their creepy performances.
Ellie Taylor said it was "one of the best moments of my life" after she came joint top of the scoreboard after her Hocus Pocus-inspired routine. The comedian and Ted Lasso actress and her professional partner Johannes Radebe closed Halloween week on the hit show scoring 35 for their couple’s choice dance to I Put A Spell On You by Bette Midler.
The MEN reported that the routine, which involved a smoking cauldron, received a standing ovation and rapturous applause from the audience – and put them top of the scoreboard alongside Kiss FM DJ Tyler West and partner Dianne Buswell for their Beetlejuice-inspired cha cha cha.
The latest episode also saw TV and radio presenter Helen Skelton dressed as Little Red Riding Hood and her partner Gorka Marquez as The Wolf, Coronation Street star Will Mellor appear out of a sarcophagus alongside his partner Nancy Xu for their mummy-inspired cha cha cha and Tony Adams recieving his best score so far for his quickstep to The Devil Went Down To Georgia by The Charlie Daniels Band.
But despite all the action on-screen, Strictly fans were flocking to social media to share how much they missed professional dancer Giovanni Pernice. The show's reigning champ made history last Halloween with partner Rose Ayling-Ellis with their routine after the pair received a perfect score of 40 out of 40.
@sian_davies_xx tweeted: "Who we really missed this week! The HALLOWEEN KING himself #Strictly," alongside a string of images of Giovanni during different Halloween weeks. @Henry92589880 said: "This Halloween week was as predicted so boring without Giovanni However thankfully Ellie T & Johannes were tonight’s saviours as they show what Halloween is truly about It’s spooky, it’s fun, it’s CAMP! #Strictly."
@Perrie84318204 cried: "Missed Giovanni tonight #Strictly." @AletaMarshXXX posted: "Strictly Come Dancing just wasn't the same without the fantastic Giovanni. Giovanni has produced such spectacular performances on Halloween. Giovanni is top class." @MRipley13 wrote: "Halloween week without Giovanni just doesn't hit the same. #StrictlyComeDancing #Strictly." @jaimytweets added: "#Strictly Halloween just isn’t the same without Giovanni ‘Petrifying’ Pernice, is it?"
Ahead of Saturday night's show, one fan took to social media to remember Giovanni's spooktacular routine with Rose last year, weeks before they lifted the Glitterball trophy. And he took time to respond as he said: "Well technically I'm not competing this year which means nobody is beating the title ha ha ha!! Anyway, enjoy the show tonight… I know I will."
It is the first time Giovanni hasn't performed in Strictly's Halloween special since joining the show in 2015. He and his 2022 celebrity partner Richie Anderson were eliminated during Movie Week. They had donned Lion King costumes for their performance. BBC Radio 2 host Richie dressed as mischievous meerkat Timon, while reigning Gio, 32, was dressed as warthog Pumbaa.
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