Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice has won the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing, Ballando con le Stelle, alongside his celebrity partner Bianca Guaccero.
The 34-year-old dancer and his partner, aged 43, were crowned victors of the show’s 19th season on Saturday night.
The pair, who recently confirmed their romantic relationship, have sparked further excitement as Pernice hinted at marriage plans following their triumph.
When questioned about proposing to the Italian actress and singer, Pernice playfully responded: “If we win the show, I’ll seriously think about it.”
The programme, which is considered Italy’s equivalent of Dancing With The Stars, saw the couple secure their first title in a tense finale, beating Olympic champion Federica Pellegrini and her professional partner.
The couple took to social media to celebrate their victory, with Pernice sharing a clip of their winning moment captioned “la coppia vince” – meaning “the couple wins.”
Guaccero expressed her joy on Instagram, writing “Grazie a voi, non ci posso credere,” which translates to “thank you all so much, I cannot believe it.”
And they weren’t the only ones using social media to share their thoughts on the victory with Pernice’s former Strictly castmates Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas sending clear messages following his win.
“Congratulations,” Mabuse penned in response to one of Pernice’s victory posts while Ballas weighed in: “@giovannipernice a huge congratulations. Wow what a trophy. Well deserved. See you soon x.” (sic)
The romance between Pernice and his partner has blossomed during their time on the show, with the former Strictly star recently expressing his deep feelings for Guaccero.
“Bianca is my priority. She has been my priority from the beginning. She is still my priority today and will be until the end of the show and beyond,” he declared.
Guaccero responded emotionally: “Being someone’s priority is something new for me. I have always been the one taking care of others.”
On Saturday, Pernice took to Instagram to thank his UK supporters for their crucial role in his victory.
“To all my dear friends in the UK that are supporting us all the way. We just want to say a massive thank you, because realistically, we couldn’t do anything without you,” he said.
The dancer explained the importance of social media engagement in the voting system: “And I tell you why, because, the way that the vote works, it’s all about likes on social media.”
He added: “We can totally see which part of the votes are coming from the UK and you are being unbelievably amazing.”
The win marks a successful return to television for Pernice, who had left the UK earlier this year amid controversy.
Pernice’s Italian triumph comes months after his departure from the UK amid a BBC investigation into allegations made by his former Strictly Come Dancing partner Amanda Abbington.
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Giovanni Pernice and Bianca Guaccero won the Italian version of Strictly
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The Sherlock actress had alleged “inappropriate” behaviour and claimed she was subject to a “toxic environment” while partnered with Pernice, accusations he denied.
The BBC investigation upheld “some, but not all” of the complaints made against the professional dancer.
While there were no findings relating to physical aggression, complaints of verbal bullying and harassment were upheld, according to the PA news agency.
Following the BBC’s findings, Abbington expressed feeling “vindication” and said she had “no regrets” about lodging the complaints, despite receiving “hundreds” of death and rape threats.
When asked about a potential return to Strictly during an October appearance on ITV’s Lorraine, Pernice remarked: “Who knows, never say never.”