After a tumultuous few months, Giovanni Pernice ends 2024 on a high after winning the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing and embarking on a new romance with his dance partner Bianca Guaccero.
In fact, things seem to be going so well for the couple that the Italian heartthrob, 34, even promised to marry the actress, 43, while they celebrated their epic victory last weekend.
“If we win the show, I’ll think about it seriously,” Giovanni said of the question after the couple performed an impressive tango.
The couple confirmed their romance in November, with Bianca at the time claiming she had “difficulty believing in true love” until she met him.
Bianca also declared that she had “never felt so safe and loved” as with the dancer, almost 10 years younger than her.
“After a long time, there is someone who takes care of me and cares about me,” Giovanni said.
After a tumultuous few months, Giovanni Pernice ends 2024 on a high after winning the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing and embarking on a new romance with his dance partner Bianca Guaccero.
In fact, things seem to be going so well for the couple that the Italian heartthrob, 34, even promised to marry the actress, 43, while they celebrated their epic victory last weekend.
‘A woman like her has been missing in my life.’
“He’s silly and crazy, and that made me fall in love with him. It’s been a long time since I felt happiness in my heart,” Bianca added.
The two met when she joined Italian dance show Ballando con le Stelle earlier this year following her exit from Strictly Come Dancing amid Amanda Abbington’s harassment row.
And it wasn’t long before the two were talking thanks to their sizzling chemistry both on and off the dance floor.
During a chat with The Mail last month, Giovanni avoided answering whether romance was in the cards for the couple, but mused: “Well, she’s single.”
Giovanni added: “He’s 43 years old. He has a son, he’s brilliant.” She comes to rehearsals.
“It’s definitely a place of happiness, I’m happy to be able to do what I love to do.”
When asked if the couple had ever kissed in rehearsals, Giovanni sheepishly replied: “The only thing I’m interested in is Bianca. She’s great, she’s a fantastic dancer. We broke the record for most tens on the show! In 19 years of history.’
“If we win the show, I’ll think about it seriously,” Giovanni said of the question after the couple performed an impressive tango.
The couple confirmed their romance in November, with Bianca at the time claiming she had “difficulty believing in true love” until she met him.
The professional dancer debuted on Ballando Con Le Stelle after leaving the British series after almost 10 years due to a BBC investigation into Amanda Abbingdon’s claims that he harassed her during last year’s series (Giovanni and Amanda pictured ).
However, they did make tongues wag when they shared a kiss on the show, locking lips after performing a sensual Rumba routine.
Viewers also commented on the sexual chemistry between them.
A friend of the Sicilian star said: ‘Giovanni looks to the future and loves dancing with Bianca, and has a twinkle in his eye, and never more so than when you mention her.
“She’s the perfect person to partner with after the whole Amanda saga. He’s been through a really tough time and was thrilled to be dancing again, but he didn’t realize he’d have someone as wonderful as Bianca to do it with.” ”.
The couple have since spoken proudly of their romance, with Giovanni declaring Bianca his “priority” just weeks before his win on the show.
In a video clip featuring her routine last month, Giovanni said: ‘Bianca is my priority. She has been my priority from the beginning. “She remains my priority today and will be until the end of the show and beyond.”
‘Being someone’s priority is something new for me. I have always been the one who takes care of others,” an emotional Bianca responds as she struggles to find the words.
‘It’s an incredible feeling. It’s something I’m discovering at forty-three years old.
‘Having someone by my side who is proud of me and happy for my happiness is something new for me. This has never happened to me in my life.’
While Giovanni added: ‘I don’t know what will happen in the future but we are on the right path.’
Interviewed by Monica Setta for Storie di Donne al Bivio (Stories of Women at the Crossroads), which aired on December 21, Bianca promised her partner that she is ready to take things further.
The two met when she joined Italian dance show Ballando con le Stelle earlier this year following her exit from Strictly Come Dancing amid Amanda Abbington’s harassment row.
‘Dear Giovanni, I promise to leave out all my fears, doubts and closures. The symbolic gift that I put under the Christmas tree is believing in our possibilities.” the Italian star said in the interview.
In recent weeks, Giovanni and Bianca have been getting to know each other: she visited him in London and Giovanni met his family in Bitonto, in southern Italy.
‘I had a heavy stone in my heart, it was difficult for me to believe in true love. When I met Giovanni I felt at home and I was in London with him and then 24 hours with my parents, he continued.
“I wanted to introduce him to the country and the people I love.”
In fact, Bianca’s mother, Rosa, has expressed her seal of approval for her daughter’s new love.
“I like him as a person,” he shared, before giving his opinion on their romance.
He added: “Bianca has never told me explicitly, but love doesn’t need to be announced, you see it and you feel it and that’s enough.”
Bianca declared that she had “never felt so safe and loved” as with the dancer, almost 10 years younger than her.
“He’s stupid and crazy, and that made me fall in love with him. It’s been a long time since I felt happiness in my heart.”
The pair took the first title in a tense final, beating Olympic champion Federica Pellegrini and her professional partner Pasquale La Rocca.
Model Federica Nargi and Luca Favilla, who were also the favorite couple to win the show, reached third place.
It caps a difficult year for Italian dancer Giovanni, who quit the UK version of the show amid an ongoing harassment dispute with actress Amanda Abbington.
The BBC cleared the Sicilian of ten of 16 allegations when it concluded its investigation in September.
Six of the allegations were upheld, some including bullying and harassment, prompting an apology from BBC bosses.
The new romance comes after a series of high-profile romances for the star.
In recent weeks, Giovanni and Bianca have been getting to know each other: she visited him in London and Giovanni met his family in Bitonto, in southern Italy.
When they were paired with Coronation Street actress Georgia May Foote in 2015, Giovanni’s first year on Strictly, they began dating.
He also found love with singer Ashley Roberts, who appeared on Strictly in 2018, although they were not a couple – she danced with Pasha Kovalev.
He dated Love Island stunner Maura Higgins for four months in 2021, while in 2022, Giovanni was linked to strictly professional partner Jowita Przystal.
Meanwhile, Bianca separated from her husband, director Dario Acocella, in 2017. The couple has a daughter named Alice.