Giovanni Pernice missing as Strictly tour launches amid Amanda Abbington row
Giovanni Pernice is noticeably absent from backstage shots that have been shared as stars and dancers rehearse for the upcoming Strictly Come Dancing 2024 live tour.
A string of stars from the 2023 season will be taking to the stage later this month as part of the 2024 production of Strictly Come Dancing Live!
The 2024 tour is set to be hosted by It Takes Two host - and former Strictly pro - Janette Manrara, while Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas and Anton du Beke will be on stage to judge the celebrities and their pro partners.
Fans of the hit BBC show will be able to see Angela Rippon and Kai Widdrington, Angela Scanlon and Carlos Gu, Annabel Croft and Graziano Di Prima, Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell, show winners Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola, Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Jowita Przystał and Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin take to the stage before their very eyes if they snap up a ticket and go along.
Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola are preparing for the Strictly 2024 live tour (PA)And furthermore, a number of dance professionals will also attend, to add more feet to big live performances - with Nadiya Bychkova, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Robbie Kmetoni, Jake Leigh and Nancy Xu all taking part. But one noticeable absentee is 33-year-old Giovanni who was paired with 51-year-old actress Amanda Abbington for the 2023 season.
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Fans of Strictly will be well aware that Amanda dramatically quit the 2023 contest due to personal reasons - taking Giovanni out of the contest too. And more recently, the star has revealed she is considering legal options against Strictly as reports have suggested she is suffering from Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from her time on the show - while reports had previously suggested she and Giovanni had clashed behind-the-scenes of the show.
It seems Giovanni will not be taking part in the live show - which kicks off in Birmingham on Friday 19 January at 7:30pm. Ahead of the shock kicking off, cosy snaps of the dance stars and celebs rehearsing together have been shared - with Gio nowhere to be seen.
Runners up Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin are raring to get back on stage (PA)Victors Ellie, 22, and Vito, 31, looked as affectionate as ever when they posed for photos on a staircase. The Italian hunk placed an arm round the soap actress while she flashed a winning smile and the pair looked slightly coordinated in dark clothing. While runners up Layton, 29, and Nikita, 26, looked relaxed in each others’ company.
Taking a seat on the same steps, the lads flashed beaming smiles - as Layton leaned into his dance partner and Nikita draped a hand over the Bad Education star’s shoulder. Fellow runners up Bobby, 20, and Dianne, 34, stood together on the steps - with the soap actor towering above the Aussie pro dancer. Dianne looked electric in a fluorescent lime coloured crop too, while Bobby flashed a dazzling smile while draped in designer sportswear.
At 79, Angela Rippon is the oldest of the team - but she looks to be melting easily into rehearsals as snaps of her in action with 26-year-old Kai showed her bending and stretching across the rehearsals stage. The broadcaster stunned Strictly fans last year as she performed daring splits on screen and skipped effortlessly across the stage with the energy of some of her fellow contestants who are less than half her age.
Annabel, 57, won over fans in the 2023 season as she was paired with 36-year-old Johannes Radebe - but for the live tour she is dancing with 29-year-old Graziano. Annabel previously explained that she wouldn’t be pairing with Johannes on tour - as he needed a well earned rest.
Dianne Buswell and Bobby Brazier demonstrate their significant height difference (PA)
Flexible Angela Rippon will wow the crowds alongside Kai Widdrington (PA)Appearing on Lorraine last month, she said: “We're both sad about [not doing the tour together]. I think that Johannes has his own tour, so he's promoting his own show and I think it was too close to this tour and his body also needs a rest.”
She added: “He needs to recharge his batteries so I think he's probably sad that he couldn't make it work but I hear that term 'keep dancing' and I now realise what that is because I do want to keep dancing. When I got the opportunity to do the tour, I thought 'oh wow, how wonderful to just keep going.’ But of course, I'd love to have been with him.”
Meanwhile, Channel 4 star Krishnan, 53, has also swapped his dance professional for the live tour - having been paired with 32-year-old Lauren Oakley and he will now be taking to the stage with 29-year-old Jowita. Krishnan previously declared he had felt conflicted about dancing without Lauren.
Annabel Croft is dancing with Graziano Di Prima for the 2024 Live! Tour (PA)
Krishnan Guru-Murthy will be seen dancing with Jowita Przystal instead of Lauren Oakley (PA)Taking to social media in November 2023, he wrote: “We're at it again!! I'm going on the Strictly Come Dancing tour!! It's going to be fantastic, but it's going to be different since @laurenmayoakley was already committed to touring with @giovannipernice, so it was a big decision for me and I went back and forth about it. But with Lauren’s trademark encouragement I’m very excited to be dancing with the amazing @jowitaprzystal so CAN’T WAIT FOR THE NEW YEAR! xxxx”
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While Giovanni is not involved in the tour, it is possible the drama surrounding him, Amanda, and rumoured legal action is gliding off him like water on a duck. Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, and reviewing recent photos of the BBC star with his colleagues, body language expert Judi James previously revealed: "Every studio has a small group of smokers gathered outside in the break and Giovanni’s body language looks little different from anyone else might do, standing out in the cold having a chat."
She explains further: "His facial expression appears to show a state of reasonable good humour as though he is being philosophical about the current headlines, but there is no scowling or hunching to suggest he’s suffering from any desire to hide or any suppressed anger. His eyes are slightly narrowed but wrinkled at the outer edges to suggest a faint eye smile and the puckering around his mouth and the slight curls at the corner suggest he’s being stoic rather than anxious. His hand is stuffed in his pocket, but in the freezing weather that’s likely to be caused by the chill rather than a desire to hide."
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