Yahoo News Strictly star shares "surprise" reunion with Giovanni Pernice
Giovanni Pernice has reunited with his former Strictly Come Dancing co-star Lauren Oakley amid his latest visit to the UK.
Oakley, who joined the BBC competition show as a professional dancer back in 2022, took to Instagram this week to share a sweet photo of herself and Pernice, who can be seen kissing her on the cheek.
"It's been a minute," she captioned the post.
Pernice, who is currently competing on the Italian version of Strictly following his exit from the UK version earlier this year, shared a similar photo of the pair embracing in a hug to his own Instagram Story, writing: "The best surprise visit today."
Related: Best streaming services in 2024
In June, it was confirmed that Pernice would not be returning for the 2024 series of Strictly following allegations of misconduct during training sessions from his former celebrity partner Amanda Abbington.
The BBC launched an investigation into the allegations, which recently concluded that "some but not all" of the complaints made by Abbington against Pernice were upheld.
Pernice issued a statement after the BBC review, saying he was pleased that some of the allegations "have not been upheld".
Related: Strictly's Pete Wicks tries out daring dance move on Maura Higgins
He added: "Today I'm happy because, you know, at the beginning there were very, very serious allegations thrown out at me, but as [of] today, none of the serious allegations have been upheld."
In her own statement, Abbington called the findings of the BBC inquiry "a vindication" and expressed hope that "lessons have been learned".
During a new interview with The Daily Mail, Pernice addressed whether a Strictly return could happen in the future.
"Next year? It's too far away. At the moment I am just focused on Bianca," he said, referring to actress Bianca Guaccero, his celebrity dance partner on Ballando con le Stelle – the Italian version of Strictly.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Interested in talking about Strictly? Visit our dedicated sub-forum
Read more Strictly news on our dedicated homepage
You Might Also Like
