Giovanni Pernice has been described as ‘already checked out’ of his partnership with Richie Anderson by a body language expert, following their shock elimination from Strictly Come Dancing.
The pair landed in the dreaded dance-off on Sunday alongside Fleur East and Vito Coppola, dancing their Samba to Hakuna Matata from The Lion King.
The judges’ final decision saw three votes seal Richie and Giovanni's fate, making them the second couple to leave this year's competition.
Appearing on spin-off It Takes Two with host Rylan Clark, Richie opened up about the surprise axe and said: “I totally accept the result on Sunday night. It is what it is.”
As the pair gave their final joint media appearance body language expert Judi James has revealed Giovanni ‘looked like a man who had already checked out of the departure lounge’.
She added that the pro dancing star, who triumphed in last year’s series of the BBC ballroom dancing show alongside Rose Ayling-Ellis, was ‘going through the motions’.
She said: “He sat wearing the reflective expression of a man wondering how he went from being last season’s winner and national heartthrob to the man voted off second dressed as a pot-bellied warthog this season.”
Judi added: “Gio looked away as a very emotional Richie spoke and when Richie did dissolve into tears Giovanni barely looked at him, let alone comforted him.
“When Gio did speak to Richie he did it facing front, with just his head partially turned.
“While Richie was reduced to tears beside him, Giovanni sat elegantly and politely with his legs crossed and his hands folded on his lap, barely glancing at his former dance partner.
“Giovanni’s body language signals suggested totally understandable distress or frustration and he must surely be wondering why he was given a partnership with so little chemistry or synchronicity.”
She continued: “He fiddled with one erect index finger continuously in a self-comfort or calming ritual.
“He seemed to be fiddling with a ring on that finger and this trait showed whoever is connected with that ring should be a source of comfort and support to him.”
She concluded: “His thumbs were steepled in another gesture of irritation or anxiety and when the chat was finished the two men only performed a rather weak hi five.
“There were no actual signs of any personal rift but by Strictly standards the body language looked positively frosty.”
Strictly Come Dancing returns next Saturday at 6.30pm on BBC One.
