Giovanni Pernice says 'it's happening' as he's reunited with Strictly Come Dancing star amid support

Giovanni Pernice is excitedly preparing for a Strictly Come Dancing reunion after some of the show's stars spoke out with support. It comes after the BBC confirmed the professional dancer line-up for the upcoming 2024 series earlier this month (June) which didn't include the Italian dancer.

It was confirmed that the dance contest's 2023 winner Vito Coppola and fellow pro Amy Dowden, who returns to the show after being unable to compete last year after being diagnosed with stage three breast cancer, were among those returning to the show this autumn.

Notably, Giovanni, who first joined Strictly in 2015, was not among the names confirmed. The news came as Giovanni has been subject to a number of allegations regarding his conduct in the training room which he rejects.

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Weeks after his Strictly exit was confirmed, the show's head judge Shirley Ballas described Giovanni as a "true gentleman" and as a "hard worker" who always tries his best. She told Best magazine: "I think everybody in the 'Strictly' cast is fantastic and I've known Giovanni a long, long time.

"I've known him probably longer than a lot of people have known him and I can only talk from personal experience. He's got a work ethic that is the same as mine. He works hard and he wants the best for anybody who wants to learn. He's a true gentleman, and of course, he always looks drop-dead gorgeous."

Shirley also noted that Giovanni is an incredibly considerate person in general who goes out of his way to make someone feel "super-special". She added: "He always puts his best foot forward and is always on time, he's one of those very thoughtful people.

"He called me the other day to invite my mum to a show he was doing because they love each other. As popular as he is, he will always try and make his way to any fan who wants to see him and will always make them feel super-special."

Now, Shirley is set to join Giovanni and fellow judge Anton Du Beke as the trio are holding dance classes on Sunday (June 30) as part of Giovanni's Ballando dance classes.

A post shared to Ballando's Instagram page on Saturday (June 29) featured pictures of the dancers and TV stars and said: "We are SOLD OUT for tomorrow. Can't wait to see everyone there. It's going to be lots of fun!" Resharing the post to his own Instagram Story, Giovanni wrote: "It's happening!" (sic).