Giovanni Pernice seems to be in nice spirits as he blows kisses to followers
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Giovanni Pernice appeared in great spirits as he was seen back in London on Sunday after confirming he will return to British TV next year.
The Italian dancer, 34, was seen giving the thumbs up and blowing kisses at fans as he left a dance class in South West London.
The former Strictly professional left the BBC show in May after his former celebrity partner Amanda Abbington complained about his behaviour.
However last week it was revealed is reportedly set to make a return to Strictly Come Dancing for a 20th anniversary special after being cleared of the majority of bullying allegations.
And Giovanni looked happy as he left the class and headed for the airport to return to Italy where he is currently starring on the Italian version of Strictly.
Giovanni Pernice looked in great spirits as he blew kisses to fans after ‘confirming return to British TV’ in London on Sunday
The Italian dancer, 34, was seen giving the thumbs up and blowing kisses at fans as he left a dance class in South West London
Opting for an all black ensemble, the star wore a stylish black leather jacket over a black T-shirt and tracksuit bottoms.
The dancer completed the look with a black NY baseball cap and black trainers as he chatted with friends leaving the class.
The star was seen smoking a cigarette as he wheeled his suitcases ready to head back to the airport for training with his celebrity partner Bianca Guaccero.
It was revealed on Saturday that Giovanni will allegedly feature in a special episode celebrating Strictly’s 20th anniversary, which will take a look back at ‘iconic performances and familiar faces past and present’.
Giovanni is likely to be seen in the episode, which airs in December, alongside his former dance partner Rose Ayling-Ellis, 29, who made history as the first deaf contestant to win the coveted glitterball trophy.
A source told The Sun: ‘Giovanni made history when he won with Rose so footage from their emotional silent performance is set to feature.’
There’s also speculation that Giovanni could make an appearance in person on the show, though the BBC have yet to confirm this.
Graziano Di Prima will apparently not be making an appearance after he was fired from the show for kicking celebrity partner Zara McDermott last year.
Giovanni looked happy as he left the class and headed for the airport to return to Italy where he is currently starring on the Italian version of Strictly
Giovanni was seen blowing kisses to fans after the dance class at his Ballando Dance School
![Professional dancer Giovanni left the BBC's Strictly in May after his former celebrity partner Amanda Abbington complained about his behaviour [pictured together last year]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/10/21/14/91050755-13983343-Professional_dancer_Giovanni_left_the_BBC_s_Strictly_in_May_afte-a-85_1729518420786.jpg)
Professional dancer Giovanni left the BBC’s Strictly in May after his former celebrity partner Amanda Abbington complained about his behaviour [pictured together last year]
The dancer completed the look with a black NY baseball cap and black trainers as he chatted with friends leaving the class
The star was seen smoking a cigarette as he wheeled his suitcases ready to head back to the airport for training with his celebrity partner Bianca Guaccero
The former Strictly professional left the BBC show in May after his former celebrity partner Amanda Abbington complained about his behaviour
Giovanni seemed over the moon after the dance class as he shared a group snap on Instagram and wrote: ‘Sunday done right’
It seemed the star had also popped to Selfridges for a spot of shopping during his trip in the capital
MailOnline contacted representatives of Strictly for comment, who stated: ‘Editorial decisions about what the final show will include haven’t been finalised yet.’
The BBC cleared Giovanni of ten out of 16 allegations when the probe concluded in September.
Six of the claims were upheld, some included bullying and harassment, which prompted an apology from BBC bosses.
The BBC also agreed with Ms Abbington that at times he appeared to be giving her overly negative feedback.
Amanda quit the show abruptly in just week five of last year’s series, citing personal reasons, before going on to accuse the dancer of ‘mean’ and ‘cruel’ behaviour.
The news comes days after Giovanni confirmed he is returning to UK television.
The choreographer has joined BBC rivals Channel Four for their new series Celebrity Hunted, according to The Sun.
The show was filmed back in 2022, but bosses shelved it after Sherlock star Amanda accused him of bullying.
The BBC cleared Giovanni of ten out of 16 allegations when the probe concluded in September
Six of the claims were upheld, some included bullying and harassment, which prompted an apology from BBC bosses
The star added a designer element to his look with the Gucci NY baseball cap
The BBC also agreed with Ms Abbington that at times he appeared to be giving her overly negative feedback
The choreographer has joined BBC rivals Channel Four for their new series Celebrity Hunted, according to The Sun
He was seen chatting with a friend as he waited to go the airport
At first the show execs considered just cutting his scenes from the series but decided on rescheduling the show for January 2025.
A TV source told The Sun: ‘It was absolutely right to shelve Hunted while the BBC took the time to unravel the claims against Giovanni.
‘It was filmed in 2022 and due to screen last year, but will now air in early 2025.’
Giovanni will be seen on Celebrity Hunted alongside his 2022 dance partner, Radio 2’s Richie Anderson.
Richie opted to keep silent during the investigation and unfollowed him online.
Celebrities taking part in the next series, as reported by The Sun newspaper, are: Strictly Come Dancing professionals Giovanni and Kai Widdrington, Loose Women’s Denise Welch and husband Lincoln, EastEnders Danielle Harold and Coronation Street’s Kimberley Hart-Simpson plus Christine McGuiness and Duncan James.
