Giovanni Pernice has given fans a glimpse at his childhood as he recreated a photo taken 20 years ago. The Strictly Come Dancing star is currently busy preparing for the upcoming 20th series of the BBC One dance contest.
The reigning champ has, however, taken time out to look back at his seven-year-old self as he opened up about being the hit show's 'lothario'. Giovanni posted the nostalgic snap to his Instagram Story. It showed him as a young boy in a pair of blue shorts with a yellow bum bag wrapped around his waist.
A second photo then showed the professional dancer now, at 31 years old, donning the same outfit but this time showing off his tattoos and ripped physique.
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"20 years later," he penned alongside the two images before sharing a link to a new interview he has done with The Guardian. In the chat with the publication, Giovanni joked he was “probably carrying sweets” in the bum bag in the photo as he admitted he loved eating lasagne and pizza as a kid.
But he also set the record straight on the perception of him now, claiming he is not the "lothario" everyone thinks he is after enjoying a string of romances during his seven-year stint on Strictly. "Because of how I look, and because I’m Italian, there is a stereotype of a lothario that sometimes follows me around," he said.
"I like flirting, but because I am a dancer as well it amplifies the whole ‘charmer’ persona. What people don’t consider is that this is something I do for a living – as well as dancing, it’s acting. If you see me do a good Argentinian tango, it means my partner and I are performing the right parts with enough emotion."
He added he finds the rumours surrounding his love life "funny". During the last series of the competition, viewers implored Giovanni and partner Rose Ayling-Ellis to become a couple after falling in love with their friendship and routines during the competition, which saw them lift the Glitterball trophy in December.
Giovanni has been linked to the likes of former Love Island star Maura Higgins, Pussycat Doll Ashely Roberts, and former Coronation Street star Georgia May Foote.
The last known love interest of the Italian dancer is Maura who he dated for four months last year. Giovanni and Maura suddenly called it quits after a string of affectionate public displays. But the Strictly star insisted that there was no wrongdoing on either side. Taking to his Instagram Stories at the time of the split, Giovanni explained: "Firstly, great relationships with great people can come to a natural end.
This has been the case for me recently. There was absolutely no wrong-doing and this should be the end of any speculation. Whilst I respect and understand interest in my personal life, wouldn't it be fantastic to instead use this space to raise awareness of subjects and issues which need the attention."
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