The Strictly winner on his dancing odyssey – and why he’s not really a lothario
Born in 1990, Giovanni Pernice left his home in Sicily aged 14 to chase his ambitions of becoming a professional dancer. Training at a leading dance school in Bologna, he specialised in Latin dance and went on to become a much-decorated performer, most notably winning the Italian Open Championship in 2012. Three years later he joined the team of professional dancers on Strictly Come Dancing. A five-time finalist, he took home Strictly’s top prize in 2021 – along with a subsequent Bafta win – while dancing with EastEnders actor Rose Ayling-Ellis, the first deaf contestant to perform on the show. After the success of his solo tour This Is Me, he takes his new show, Made in Italy, across the UK in 2023.
This photograph was taken by my mother, Rosalba. I was seven and it was a typical summer’s day – I had been to the beach with my family, a fun and simple thing to do when you’re Sicilian. And the bum bag. You have to have a man bag! It was mostly a fashion statement, so I don’t think I was carrying much inside. Probably sweets which, as you can see from my body in the picture, I very much enjoyed, along with lasagne and pizza.
