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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Frances Kindon

Strictly: 'Embarrassed Giovanni Pernice felt let down by Richie Anderson,' says expert

Sunday night's Strictly Come Dancing saw the shock elimination of last year's winner Giovanni Pernice along with his celebrity partner, radio star Richie Anderson.

The pair failed to impress the panel - or viewers - with their Lion King-themed samba to Hakuna Matata for movie week.

Dressed as Timon and Pumbaa, the pair found themselves in the dance-off alongside Fleur East, who performed an American smooth to A Whole New World from the Little Mermaid.

The judges ultimately chose to save Fleur, putting an end to Giovanni's hopes of winning two years on the trot.

And it comes after weeks of speculation about a supposed 'feud' between the two men amid claims that Giovanni was frustrated with Richie's supposed reluctance to listen in rehearsals.

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Richie and Giovanni perform the Samba to The Lion King's Hakuna Matata (BBC/Guy Levy)

But both hit back, with Giovanni insisting on It Takes Two that there is 'no problem'.

"We are having a good, we're definitely having a good time. Obviously it's a dance competition at the end of the day so we have to learn something," he said.

"But there is no problem. Where is the camera? There is no problem between us, we are having a good time. So forget about what you are writing, it's not true."

However, body language expert Darren Stanton believes their relationship may have been more fractious than thought.

Analysing their performance and subsequent Sunday night's departure, he said Giovanni showed a side to himself that has never been seen before in the history of the competition.

Giovanni and Richie were the second couple to be booted off Strictly (BBC/Guy Levy)

Speaking on behalf of Betfair, he said: "Richie and Giovanni failed to show any developments in their relationship or a deepening in rapport this week - mainly due to their heavy costumes.

"Giovanni also seemed a little flat in his energy and facial expressions whilst being marked by the judges. I formed the impression he was not as happy as usual with their performance, however he did make the effort to reassure Richie.

"I think at the time they were getting feedback, Giovanni was clearly worried about facing the dance off or indeed getting voted off by the public.

Giovanni was 'embarrassed', according to Darren Stanton (BBC)

"This is a very different side of Giovanni that we have seen in comparison to previous years. His body language usually comes across as genuine and clear in his support.

"Perhaps he felt Richie had not given his all during the week or generally felt let down at the fact he wasn't able to demonstrate progress and technical ability in the dance.

"I believe Giovanni was slightly embarrassed by being voted off in week two. Beyond all the sequins and glitter, he is obviously a very competitive, focused and hard-working professional dancer. It's clear being voted off at such an early stage has left him gutted, compared to his success with Rose Ayling-Ellis last year."

What did you think of the judges' decision? Share your thoughts in the comments section below...

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