Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice has landed a big TV gig with the BBC. The dancer's latest venture has been revealed by the broadcaster as he teams up with one of his co-stars and new dance partner.
Giovanni and the BBC One dance contest's newest judge Anton Du Beke will star in a new three-part BBC travel series exploring Sicily. Reigning champion Giovanni, 32, will take Anton, 56, to explore the Italian island where he is from.
A teaser trailer shows Pernice and Du Beke sailing off the coast of Sicily. In the clip, Anton jokes "the capitano has got lost in the middle of the ocean" as they pan around to the scenic views.The BBC said the dancers will eat Sicilian cuisine while perhaps indulging in a tango or two in the new series.
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The pair will also explore local sights including Mount Etna and the old towns on the Mediterranean island. "To say this has been a dream project is an understatement," Giovanni, who won Strictly for the first time last year with former EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, said.
“Taking Anton to my much-loved home of Sicily was simply ‘bellissima’. We danced, we laughed, and had the time of our lives – with great culture, food and company. I cannot wait for viewers in the UK to come on this journey with us.2
Anton added: “When I first heard about this trip it was pretty irresistible. What’s not to love? It’s all my favourite things, great food, great country and spending time in the sunshine with Giovanni. Marvellous."
The news comes just weeks after Giovanni made an early exit from Strictly. The Italian dancer was paired with TV and radio personality Richie Anderson for the 2022 series, which is the competition's 20th run, before they were voted out in the second week. The dancing pair, one of two same-sex couples in this year's series, went up against Fleur East and Vito Coppola after they landed in the bottom two following the much-loved Movie Week special.
It came after Richie and Giovanni performed a head-turning samba to Hakuna Matata from the much-loved Disney movie The Lion King. The pair donned Lion King costumes for their performance with the BBC radio host, 34, dressed as mischievous meerkat Timon, while Gio was dressed as warthog Pumbaa.
Giovanni remained silent on his exit from the competition, a year after winning over viewers with his partnership with Rose, who was the show's first-ever deaf contestant. While Giovanni is yet to post anything to his own Instagram page, he did respond to Richie's exit post, writing: "Well done mate!! Always choose dance and you def did. Be proud of yourself."
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