Giovanni Pernice makes triumphant TV comeback with top-scoring Italian Strictly debut

Giovanni Pernice’s debut on the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing was a glittering success, as he returned to screens for the first time since his departure from the BBC programme.

The Palermo-born star, 34, quit Strictly in June after nine years as a professional dancer amid an investigation into allegations of misconduct made by ex-partner Amanda Abbington and other former celebrities.

Giovanni, whose previous partners include Ranvir Singh and Laura Whitmore, has denied the accusations against him, while Sherlock actress Amanda claims he exhibited ‘toxic’ and ‘degrading’ behaviour in the rehearsal room.

With the choreographer having vowed to clear his name, Amanda, 50, described his teaching methods as ‘unnecessary, abusive, cruel, and mean’ and says the show left her with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Following Giovanni’s exit – which came shortly before the firing of Graziano Di Prima – the fan favourite signed to his home country’s version of the show, named Ballando con le Stelle.

This weekend, Giovanni took to the floor for the first time alongside celeb partner, Italian actress and singer Bianca Guaccero, 43.

Hosted by Milly Carlucci, the Italian version has a slightly different format to the UK Strictly, as one couple wins per episode while another is eliminated.

The pair performed a samba, receiving glowing praise from the panel and an impressive 37 points from the five judges.

Having then been awarded 30 bonus points from the Regular Guest, Giovanni and Bianca soared to second place on the leaderboard, marking a triumphant comeback for the 2021 Strictly champ.

The scoring of Ballando con le Stelle is a combination of the judges’ total and viewer votes, while one couple receives the bonus 30 each week.

Some points are also awarded by studio guests’ representatives, typically later in the series. 

Following her first dance with Giovanni, Bianca shared a clip of their performance on Instagram.

Translated from Italian, her caption read: ‘It was a magical evening. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the affection you showed me and for the incredible energy you spent voting for me.’

She added a ‘thanks’ to her pro partner, concluding: ‘See you next Saturday! I love you.’

When announcing his signing to the Italian Strictly, Giovanni wrote on social media: ‘I’m delighted to announce that from next week I will be joining the cast of @ballandoconlestelle – the Italian Dancing with the Stars.

‘I can’t wait to get started and to get back to dancing for all of you! Thank you for all of your continued support!’

Shortly after, Giovanni announced ticket sales for his own dance tour, titled The Last Dance, as he gears up to perform across the UK from January through to May.

Meanwhile, the probe into the allegations made against him is ongoing, with the findings due to be released publicly in the coming weeks.

Amid the abuse claims, Giovanni has reportedly been having a ‘horrendous’ time of things, feeling as though he’s been left in limbo.

Consequently, his friends called his move to the Italian show ‘sweet revenge’ and claimed it would be a ‘lovely boost for him’ after a difficult few months. 

Speaking to the Daily Mail, a close source said: ‘He is so excited that he can keep on dancing and what makes it all the more lovely is that it will be in his home country.

‘The past few months have been] absolutely horrendous for Gio. He has been stuck in limbo. This will be a lovely boost for him.’ 

Giovanni – whose first Strictly partner was Georgia May Foote, whom he went on to date – and Bianca are thought to be ‘getting along great’ and are ‘really hoping’ to win the series.

The friend continued: ‘He was adored by Strictly viewers, yet he has gone thanks to Amanda’s claims – but, in his mind, it is all Italy’s gain.’

They added that it is ‘his way of moving on from the whole sorry situation.’

The UK version of Strictly returned to screens last week as the likes of Tasha Ghouri, JB Gill, Chriss McCausland, Pete Wicks, Jamie Borthwick, Shayne Ward, and Nick Knowles took to the dancefloor.