Giovanni Pernice has slammed his lothario reputation as he shared a throwback photo of himself as a child.
The Strictly Come Dancing pro took to Instagram to post the nostalgic snap from when he was seven years old.
Recreating the look today – complete with yellow bum bag - the 31-year-old Italian dance champion is world’s away from the once chubby youngster.
In an interview with The Guardian, Giovanni joked he was “probably carrying sweets” in the bum bag in the photo as he admitted he loved eating lasagne and pizza as a kid.
And he said he isn’t the “lothario” everyone thinks he is – and claims it is all down to acting which is a part of his job.
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Setting the record straight, Giovanni explained: “Because of how I look, and because I’m Italian, there is a stereotype of a lothario that sometimes follows me around.
“I like flirting, but because I am a dancer as well it amplifies the whole ‘charmer’ persona. What people don’t consider is that this is something I do for a living – as well as dancing, it’s acting.
“If you see me do a good Argentinian tango, it means my partner and I are performing the right parts with enough emotion.”
He added he finds the tabloid gossip about his love life “funny” as they “don’t know what they’re talking about most of the time”.
The last woman Giovanni was publicly linked to was Love Island beauty Maura Higgins, who he dated for four months last year.
At the time reports claimed he was “lovestruck” by the reality star turned model and presenter and even called her ‘The One’.
A source told The Sun: “Nobody would be surprised if they end up getting married because Giovanni has been saying she is the one he wants to be with forever.”
So it was a shock when he dumped the Irish stunner just a few weeks into their relationship.
It has since been claimed he did it as he didn’t want Maura to ruin his chances of winning Strictly Come Dancing – which he did in 2021 with deaf EastEnders star Rose Ayling-Ellis.
Speaking out on the split, Giovanni issued a statement on Instagram which said: “I wanted to say a couple of things...
“Firstly, great relationships with great people can come to a natural end. This has been the case for me recently.
“There was absolutely no wrong-doing and this should be the end of any speculation. Whilst I respect and understand interest in my personal life, wouldn’t it be fantastic to instead use this space to raise awareness of subjects and issues which need the attention.”
Maura was said to be “devastated” by the split, especially as it came after they had talked about moving in together.
In the past Giovanni has also dated former Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts and ex Corrie star Georgia May Foote.
He has also been linked with former TOWIE star Jess Wright in the past and recently hit the headlines for enjoying dates with Love Island 2022 star Tasha Ghouri earlier this year.
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