Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Giovanni Pernice has responded to rumours he is dating Pussycat Dolls singer Ashley Roberts. Phillip Schofield asked the dancer about the speculation during an interview on This Morning on Thursday, leaving him stumped by the unexpected question.
“How’s Ashley?” Phillip asked, leaving Giovanni to ask "who?" before Phil repeated her name. The presenter had to clarify he meant Ashley Roberts, who is currently competing on the show alongside Pasha Kovalev and has been linked to the Italian in recent weeks.
© Photo: RexGiovanni Pernice has been linked to Ashley Roberts
"I think she's great, she's doing Contemporary this week," Giovanni said. "Everyone's doing very, very well. Why are you asking me about Ashley?" Phil replied to say there had been "little rumours" about the pair, prompting Giovanni to hit back: "According to the press I change girlfriend every single day."
RELATED: Who is Ashley Roberts dating?
When asked if he had settled on Ashley, the dancer replied: "No, we are really good friends. She's a lovely person, but I'm single. I'm in Newcastle every single day, so there's no chance for me."
© Photo: RexGiovanni previously dated Georgia May Foote
Ashley and Giovanni are said to have gone on a series of dates after Strictly training, but have brushed off any suggestion of a romance. Giovanni is currently single but previously dated his Strictly partner Georgia May Foote, and was linked to Mark Wright’s sister Jess at the end of 2017. Meanwhile, Ashley has previously been linked to Declan Donnelly.
MORE: All you need to know about Strictly's Ashley Roberts
Regardless of whether they are dating, Ashley has previously revealed she struck up a close bond with the rest of her Strictly 2018 class. Speaking to HELLO!, Ashley explained: "Everybody is so nice. We really have all bonded and it's not even just with the cast, it's everybody behind the scenes – the glam people, the costume people, the production, there are people making the stage look great every night. It just has such a family essence and energy to it. And the support from the fans. We've all bonded and become a close little family!"
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