Strictly's Giovanni Pernice 'delighted' as he makes big show return after exit

Giovanni Pernice is preparing for a thrilling comeback to the dance floor, albeit in a different country.

The professional dancer has confirmed his participation in Italy's version of the hit TV show Strictly Come Dancing, known as Ballando con le Stelle.

Despite ongoing investigations by the BBC into bullying allegations made against him by Amanda Abbington, which he denies, the 34 year old is joining the show, according to Birmingham Live.

On Saturday evening, Giovanni shared the news with his Instagram followers in a post.

He captioned the video: "Hey guys! ! I'm delighted to announce that from next week I will be joining the cast of @ballandoconlestelle - the Italian Dancing with the Stars. I can't wait to get started and to get back to dancing for all of you! Thank you for all of your continued support!"

In the video, Giovanni, dressed in a white shirt unbuttoned to reveal a low gold necklace, expressed his excitement while standing in front of an orange house.

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He said: "I'm excited because finally, I'm back on the dance floor and hopefully, I will create some new magic on the dance floor."

Expressing his extreme happiness to his followers, he then translated the message into Italian, explaining that there was now a whole new audience.

Ballando con le Stelle first aired in 2005, a year after the UK premiere of Strictly Come Dancing.

Giovanni isn't the only Strictly Come Dancing UK star who won't be returning for its upcoming series.

This year started with the news that Graziano Di Prima would no longer grace the BBC show, following the emergence of "shocking" footage with partner Zara McDermott.

But there's excitement among fans as Amy Dowden is set to return to the dance floor after her brave fight with breast cancer.

At 34, she was featured in a recent trailer alongside other pros gearing up for the September 14th launch.

Taking part this year includes Tasha Ghouri,. Chris McCausland, JB Gill, Wynne Evans, Toyah Willcox, Dr Punam Krishnan, and Pete Wicks.

The line-up also includes Shayne Ward, Sarah Hadland, Jamie Borthwick, Tom Dean, Montell Douglas, Nick Knowles, Paul Merson, and Sam Quek showing off their dancing skills.

Strictly Come Dancing is poised to make its comeback on screen on BBC One at 7.20 pm on Saturday, 14 September 2024.