Strictly's Giovanni Pernice: 'perfectionist', love life and becoming 'addicted to winning'

Giovanni Pernice has become a firm favourite with Strictly Come Dancing viewers since he first entered the ballroom back in 2015. The Italian professional dancer, 33, reached the final in his very first year on the show with Coronation Street actress Georgia May Foote.

However it took until 2021 for him to lift the coveted Glitterball trophy alongside Strictly's first ever deaf competitor, EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis. He's also partnered Laura Whitmore, Debbie McGee, Faye Tozer, Michelle Visage, Ranvir Singh and Richie Anderson.

More recently, Giovanni has been at the centre of controversy over his training style after his 2023 Strictly partner Amanda Abbington made an early exit from the show. He said this week he is "a perfectionist, 100%, but it comes from a perspective of caring".

Read on to find out all about his life, career, romances and latest TV show with Anton Du Beke.

Giovanni was born in Sicily on September 5, 1990. He was raised in Palermo and told The Times growing up there was "really good fun — it was fantastic to be with friends and family every day in the Sicilian sunshine".

His father was a policeman and he's admitted to being a "total rebel" as a youngster. The future performer said he was "constantly moving around the house, running away, making noise". His parents did not dance professionally but did it "for fun" and Giovanni knew from a young age that he wanted to dance.

He recalled: "Everything changed for me one night when I watched [Italian talent show] Come Dancing. I saw the chemistry between the boys and the girls as they competed, and I loved how movement allowed you to express yourself in a way I’d never seen. It was in that moment I realised what I wanted to be."

At the age of