Rumours swirling in the Strictly Come Dancing camp concerning last year’s champion Giovanni Pernice have reportedly “raised eyebrows” among some of the show’s professional dancers.
The BBC competition is set to return to our screens next month, with celebrities including Will Mellor, Helen Skelton, Matt Goss and Fleur East all joining this year’s stellar line-up of contestants. While this year’s dance pairings are yet to be officially announced, reports have surfaced that suggest pro dancer Giovanni could be heading to the final once again, according to The Mirror .
It’s rumoured that Giovanni will be paired with TV and radio presenter Richie Anderson, who is set to follow in the footsteps of John Whaite who made it to last year’s final with pro Johannes Radebe as the first all-male couple in the show’s history. Despite Richie saying that his dance skills are comparable to “Bambi on ice”, some already believe that Richie and his partner will be as successful as John and Johannes.
READ MORE: TV host Helen Skelton has glitter mishap at home after first Strictly Come Dancing rehearsal
Reports say that Richie has been paired up with reigning champion Giovanni - who lifted the Glitterball trophy just last year with partner Rose Ayling-Ellis - which is said to have left some members of the show disgruntled. A source told The Sun : "Some of Gio’s fellow pros have raised eyebrows about chat of him getting Richie.
“The last two same-sex couples have done really well and the feeling is that whoever gets Richie could go all the way and win it. Winning two on the bounce would be great for Gio - but not all of his colleagues feel the same way.” The Mirror have contacted Strictly representatives for comment.
Giovanni said that dancing with Rose last year had been "the best six months of my life" in a heartfelt tribute to his partner on social media after the pair won the competition. EastEnders star Rose recently confirmed that her character Frankie Lewis would be leaving Walford a year on from her Strictly success, after breaking new ground as the first deaf actor to play a regular deaf character on the BBC soap.
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