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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Verity Sulway

Maura Higgins and Giovanni's blossoming love - hidden clue, baby names and Strictly curse

Love Island star Maura Higgins sent fans wild when she revealed her new romance with Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice earlier this month.

While their relationship has only just begun, the stunning couple, both 30, are said to love how "ambitious and career-driven" the other is, while one of their friends has already starting planning baby names.

But Maura has previously warned she "falls out of love quickly," and we saw on Love Island that the brunette beauty will accept nothing less than being treated like a lady.

And Giovanni has been accused of "using" famous women for publicity, and has had a string of high-profile flings including with ladies he met on the Strictly set.

Except for a few photos, the couple's haven't shared many details about their new love - but this is what we know so far.

Maura Higgins shared a loved up snap of herself with Giovanni Pernice on Instagram (Maura Higgins/Instagram)

Maura and Giovanni first set tongues wagging last month when they were spotted attending a football game together in London – leading to speculation they had been growing close for weeks before.

They have now gone public as Maura posted a romantic photo on the beach with her Italian beau, with the caption: "I'm yours."

Meanwhile, Giovanni confirmed the romance with a snap of his own, a photo of himself with his nose rubbed against Maura’s as they beamed at once another.

Maura had her hand on his neck and another dropped over his shoulder, while Giovanni had his hands wrapped around Maura's waist.

Marua Higgins and Giovanni Pernice have 'confirmed' they are dating (maurahiggins/Instagram)

The intimate moment was captioned by the Italian hunk: “You’re mine” along with a little black heart emoji.

Giovanni’s fellow Strictly Come Dancing star friend Neil Jones has even made a joke about the pair making babies - clearly confident they will go the distance.

Neil wrote in the comments section of Giovanni’s post: “You two are so cute. Please name your first child after me.”

Gio and Maura cemented their love for each other further by posting red heart emojis as comments beneath each others’ posts.

The pair had hinted at their romance with a mysterious photo of them holding hands (@maurahiggins)

They had also hinted at their union with photos of themselves holding hands at dinner - but only the hands were visible, with fans sent into meltdown awaiting confirmation of who they belonged to.

There were first hints of Maura and Giovanni's romance when fans spotted him 'liking' a string of her Instagram posts, and they were first spotted together at a Euro football match in London before being seen cuddling in Blackpool.

After the outing, a source told MailOnline: "It’s early days, but Maura is really enjoying getting to know Giovanni, and the feeling is mutual.

"They're both career-driven and ambitious, which are qualities they find really attractive in each other."

Hunky Giovanni has been accused of "showmances" in the past (pernicegiovann1/Instagram)

Maura had travelled up to Blackpool to support Giovanni while he performs alongside Anton Du Beke in their show, Me and Him, and it was also reported Maura had been introduced to the rest of Giovanni's castmates and the pair had spent several nights together at a hotel.

According to an insider, the pair have sensational chemistry and are looking ahead to the future as things "get more serious".

"They're a thing now. At first it was just a couple of dates and some fun but it's getting more serious and they're clearly really into each other," a source told The Sun.

Maura Higgins won Love Island fans over with her high standards and feisty nature (maurahiggins/Instagram)

They added that the pair are "really getting on well" and that they hope over summer they can "get to know each other better."

But it's speculated they are trying to keep their romance a little more private than previous failed relationships to avoid the embarrassment of another public breakup.

The source added: "They're keeping it a bit quiet as they've both had failed public relationships but it's hotting up really fast."

Maura confirmed that she had split from fellow Love Island star, Chris Taylor, last month.

Giovanni was seeing TOWIE star Jessica Wright (Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Giovanni and Ashley were together for a year after meeting on the Strictly set (PA)

While they didn't get together on the show, the reality stars grew close following their television stint and fans were thrilled when they confirmed their relationship last year as they were both such popular and funny contestants.

However, their romance was short-lived and they confirmed in May that they had split amicably, after realising that they were better off as friends, with Maura perhaps needing more passion than Chris offered.

Before that, Maura dated her Love Island co star Curtis Pritchard for about eight months until they called it quits, with Maura admitting she tends to fall out of love quickly, and busy schedules can be a big problem.

She explained to The Sun: "I just felt like I'm 29 and I want somebody that I can see a future with. I'm not getting any younger.

Maura had previously dated Chris Taylor before confirming their split in May (maurahiggins/Instagram)

"Curtis and I barely saw each other. At the beginning it was very, very hard because I was so besotted with him, and we never got to see each other.

"When we did, it was really nice because you got the time to miss somebody. But sometimes it would be two weeks.

"You know when you're in a relationship and you know someone's day to day? We were that busy that we didn't, and it was strange."

She added: "I fall in love quickly, but I fall out of love even quicker.

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"I tend to get over someone in my head before I actually dump them," she warned.

Meanwhile, Giovanni has previously been in a string of relationships with very famous faces, including, most recently, Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts.

Ashley and Gio met when she starred on Strictly, and he had posted a loved-up snap of him and Ashley kissing, writing: "I never thought anyone would ever make me smile, laugh and steal my heart as fast as you did !!

"I love you amore."

But he confirmed their split a year later with a tweet that read: "@ImAshleyRoberts and I have made the decision to separate as a couple. We remain friends and wish each other well for the future."

Despite claiming to be friends - Giovanni wiped all trace of Ashley from his social media, prompting rumours of a fiery drama.

Before that, Giovanni dated Georgia May Foote, who he also met on the Strictly set.

As well as having a penchant for the Strictly curse, Giovanni has also been accused of using people for fame, after he dated TOWIE star Jess Wright, but they split after just months together.

They erupted into a blazing row the Pride of Britain Awards in October 2018 when they came face-to-face for the first time since their breakup.

Jess reportedly told Gio he used her for fame and shouted repeatedly at her ex: "You're full of s**t!"

She added: "You broke my heart. You lied to me."

While Maura and Giovanni have both battled high profile splits and been accused of "showmances" - they are both older and wiser than they were in previous relationships and deserve to keep their standards high.

It's clear Maura is looking for a long-term lover to settle down with, but if dancer Curtis' schedule was too much for her, Giovanni's will be just as jam-packed with his shows, especially when Strictly kicks off again.

Provided they can dodge the dreaded "Strictly curse" and keep each other on their toes, a lasting love could be on the cards for this easy on the eye pair.

And just think how beautiful the wedding photos would be...

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