Giovanni Pernice and Rose Ayling-Ellis are one of the most iconic partnerships in Strictly history and recently delighted fans with their touching on-screen reunion.
The Italian was paired with radio presenter Richie Anderson last year but in a new interview, he revealed that we could have seen him with a completely different partner, and it’s someone we wouldn't have expected!
In a candid chat with The Sun, Giovanni shared that he suggested that Rylan Clark, who has just stepped down from presenting Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two, sign up for the main programme and dance with him.
The dancer expressed his sadness that Rylan had left his role after four years and went on to say: "We are very, very good friends. I said to him last year, 'Why don’t you do Strictly on the line-up? You can dance with me’. He was like, 'Oh, that is the only reason I’d join the show'."
LOOK: Giovanni Pernice makes big change following Jowita Przystal split
The champion also paid tribute to former head judge Len Goodman, saying he hopes that Strictly will pay tribute to the star when he returns, suggesting: "I think one of his favourite dances, or something". Len sadly died last month at the age of 78.
Giovanni recently split up from his co-star, 2022 winner Jowita Przystal, and soon after, opened up about the difficulty of maintaining relationships.
Giovanni spoke to Spencer Matthews in a new interview on the Made In Chelsea star's podcast, Big Fish, addressing why so many dancers date each other.
He said: "When you're in competition, it’s either you're in a relationship with your partner, because you spend most of your time with your partner, literally 24/7, and you travel with your partner. Or you're just single and enjoy your time around when you can.
"It's impossible sometimes, but that's the reason why most of the dance couples are together, because it's either this or nothing. And they stop dancing, and they break up straight away."
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