Giovanni Pernice Tipped for Celebrity Big Brother Comeback After Strictly Scandal
Professional dancer Giovanni Pernice, who was absent from the 2024 series of Strictly Come Dancing following allegations of bullying, is now rumored to be joining the upcoming season of Celebrity Big Brother.
The highly anticipated series is set to launch next month, with AJ Odudu and Will Best returning as hosts. According to Card Player, Giovanni has been given 10/11 odds to appear, placing him alongside GB News presenter Eamonn Holmes at the same odds.
Topping the betting charts is drag queen Daniel Curtis (Danny Beard) at 1/3, followed closely by former Love Island star Chris Hughes (4/11) and legendary athlete Daley Thompson (2/5).
Lee Astley, spokesperson for Card Player, commented: “We could see the return of Giovanni Pernice to our screens very soon, with the former Strictly Come Dancing pro tipped to appear in this year’s edition of Celebrity Big Brother.”
If the rumors are true, this could mark a dramatic comeback for Giovanni after his controversial Strictly exit.
Eamonn Holmes is among the celebrities tipped to enter the Big Brother house this spring (Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Other celebrities rumoured to appear include The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna, EastEnders actor James Bye, MAFSUK star Ella Morgan, Coronation Street’s Jack Shepherd and former CBBC presenter Angellica Bell.
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Earlier this year, Giovanni spoke out about how his life has changed since he faced bullying allegations from actress Amanda Abbington, who was his celebrity partner on Strictly Come Dancing in 2023.
Chris Hughes is also expected to be on Celebrity Big Brother (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Universal Music)
On the first night of his stage tour in January, Giovanni told the audience: “Nobody wanted to be seen with me. I felt like the world collapsed…. I didn’t have anybody around me. All the people that were supposed to be my friend disappeared.” He said how he “felt alone”, adding: “Nobody wanted to see me, they were like ‘oh you can’t be with him.’”
Giovanni had been accused of being a bully by his dance partner. An internal BBC investigation later upheld six of 17 complaints against him but not those of physical aggression.
Before the allegations, Giovanni said he felt “like I was on the top of my game.” He says: “I was untouchable, was a superhero….but fate did have different plans for me.”
Amanda Abbington spoke about her ‘hardest year’ on This Morning(Image: ITV)
Amanda Abbington, meanwhile, talked about “the hardest year” of her life on This Morning on Monday morning. She insisted she had no regrets about the previous months following her accusations.
She told hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley: “It’s been tricky. I don’t want to go over old ground. I don’t regret what happened. It’s time to move on – it was one of the hardest years of my life.”
Amanda also discussed her plans to postpone her wedding to Jonathan Goodwin, the Britain’s Got Talent star. “We just want to get this year out of the way. we still have things hanging over us in terms of litigation. We want to get this year out of the way,” she said of their plans to postpone their big day to 2026.
