Strictly professional discusses Giovanni Pernice possible return to BBC series
Vito Coppola appeared on the red carpet of this year's BAFTA Awards and opened up about the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing, which will see a number of new dancers
Vito Coppola has revealed his excitement for the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing. The 32-year-old Italian dancer has been a popular contestant on the hit BBC dance show since he joined in 2023, winning the competition alongside Coronation Street actress Ellie Leach.
Now, with the show readying itself for a new batch of hopefuls, Vito has told the Mirror how much he is looking forward to the show. Speaking on the red carpet of the BAFTA Awards, Vito told the Mirror the show's bosses have been keeping any changes to the format very close to their chest.
Vito was speaking ahead of the 78th edition of the ceremony at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall in London, where Strictly failed to be entered into the Entertainment category following the scandal the rocked the show.
There were a number of incidents involving Go Compare star Wynne Evans, which had followed the case involving Giovanni Pernice and Amanda Abbington.
After Giovanni left the show to join an Italian version of the show, Vito opened up on a potential return.
When asked if there could be a returning professional, he told us: "I mean, in Strictly everything is so unpredictable that you never can predict anything. It could be a new pro, it could be someone from the past, it could be someone I haven't worked with before.
"There are many pros that when I arrived I hadn't worked with on the show. So I'm very, very curious. The first thing that I'll do for sure, if I know or don't know them, is hug them strong and give them a big kiss on the cheek."
Specifically in Giovanni, he added: "I don't know [if we will see him back]. Because, he is now, from what I know, he is now in Italy.
"But I don't know because with Strictly they are so secret. They are so cryptic and they want to keep it as a surprise for us as well. So I mean, whoever it's going to be, I'm going to be super excited. I'm like a little puppy you know, always around. I cannot wait."
Giovanni was caught up in scandal following his 2023 stint with the actress, who made a series of claims about bullying behaviour. Giovanni decided to take a break from the public eye following the scandal.
The actress, known for her roles in Mr Selfridge and Sherlock, said the dancer had created a "toxic environment" and levelled "inappropriate, mean, nasty bullying" charges at him. While Giovanni brushed off any hints of abusive or menacing behaviour and embraced the results of a BBC investigation that upheld "some, but not all" complaints made by the actress.
Speaking of his "dream partner" for the upcoming series, Vito said he'd love to dance with his "crush". "Jessica Alba. I mean, I don't know if Jessica's listening to me, but please, feel free to join me. I promise I will give you the best time ever."
He also admitted he always thinks the show gets better every year. He also revealed how excited he for his upcoming tour with last year's winner, Dianne Buswell. He said it's going "very good" and confirmed rehearsals with all the cast are about to begin.
"We are waiting because we got all the dancers [from across the world ]. We are reuniting all of them and after we are starting all together."
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