Inside Giovanni Pernice’s romance with Bianca Guaccero as he vows to marry the actress following their epic win on Italian Strictly Come Dancing

After a tumultuous few months, Giovanni Pernice is ending 2024 on a high after winning the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing and embarking on a new romance with dance partner Bianca Guaccero.

It seems things are going so well for the couple that the Italian hunk, 34, even promised to marry the actress, 43, as they celebrated their epic win last weekend.

“If we win the show, I will think about it seriously,” Giovanni claimed when he popped the question after the couple performed a breathtaking tango.

The pair confirmed their romance in November, with Bianca claiming at the time that she ‘had trouble believing in true love’ until she met him.

Bianca also stated that she had “never felt so safe and loved” as she did with the dancer, who is almost ten years younger than her.

“After a long time, there is someone who takes care of me and cares about me,” Giovanni said.

‘A woman like her is missing in my life.’

“He’s goofy and crazy, and that’s what made me fall in love with him. It had been a long time since I felt happiness in my heart,” Bianca added.

The two met when he took part in Italian dance show Ballando con le Stelle earlier this year, after quitting Strictly Come Dancing amid bullying from Amanda Abbington.

And it didn’t take long for the two to get tongues wagging thanks to their sizzling chemistry both on and off the dance floor.

Speaking to The Mail last month, Giovanni dodged whether romance was on the cards for the pair, but did muse: ‘Well, she’s single’.

Giovanni added: ‘She’s 43. She has a child, she’s brilliant. She comes to rehearsals.

“It’s definitely a place of happiness, I’m happy that I can do what I love to do.”

When asked if the pair had ever kissed during rehearsals, Giovanni coyly replied: “All I’m interested in is Bianca.” She’s amazing, she’s a fantastic dancer. We broke the record for most A’s on the show! In 19 years of history.’

However, they did set tongues wagging when they shared a kiss during the show, locking lips after performing a sensual Rumba routine.

Viewers also commented on the sexual chemistry between them.

A friend of the Sicilian star said: ‘Giovanni looks to the future and he loves dancing with Bianca, and he has a twinkle in his eye, and never more so than when you mention her.

“She’s the perfect person for him to work with after the whole Amanda saga. He’s been through a really tough time and was excited to be able to dance again, but he didn’t know he’d have someone as wonderful as Bianca to do it with.”

The pair have since spoken proudly about their romance, with Giovanni declaring Bianca was his ‘priority’ just weeks before their show win.

In a video clip introducing their routine last month, Giovanni said: “Bianca is my priority. She has been my priority from the beginning. She is still my priority today and will remain so until the end of the show and beyond.”

“Being someone’s priority for me is something new. I have always been the one who took care of others,” an emotional Bianca replied as she searched for words.

‘It’s a great feeling. It’s something I discovered at the age of forty-three.’

‘It’s something new for me to have someone next to me who is proud of me and happy with my happiness. This had never happened to me in my life.’

While Giovanni added: ‘I don’t know what will happen in the future, but we are on the right track.’

Bianca, interviewed by Monica Setta for Storie di Donne al Bivio (Stories of Women at the Crossroads), broadcast on December 21, promised her partner that she is ready to go a step further.

“Dear Giovanni, I promise you will leave all my fears, doubts and closures behind. The symbolic gift I place under the Christmas tree is believing in our possibilities.’ the Italian star said in the interview.

Giovanni and Bianca have been getting to know each other in recent weeks, with her visiting him in London and Giovanni meeting her family in Bitonto, southern Italy.

‘I had a heavy stone on my heart, I found it difficult to believe in true love. “When I met Giovanni, I felt at home and was with him in London and then with my parents for 24 hours,” she continued.

“I wanted to introduce him to the country and the people I love.”

Bianca’s mother Rosa has expressed her approval for her daughter’s new love.

“I like him as a person,” she shared, before giving her thoughts on their romance.

She added: ‘Bianca never said it explicitly to me, but love doesn’t have to be announced, you see it and you feel it and that’s enough.’

The couple secured their first title in an exciting final, beating Olympic champion Federica Pellegrini and her professional partner Pasquale La Rocca.

Model Federica Nargi and Luca Favilla, who were also a favorite couple to win the show, reached third place.

It caps a difficult year for Italian dancer Giovanni, who left the British version of the show amid an ongoing bullying feud with actress Amanda Abbington.

The BBC cleared the Sicilian of ten of the sixteen charges when the investigation concluded in September.

Six of the claims were upheld, including bullying and harassment, prompting an apology from BBC bosses.

The new romance follows a string of high-profile romances for the star.

When they were linked to Coronation Street actress Georgia May Foote in 2015 – Giovanni’s first year on Strictly – they started dating.

He also found love with singer Ashley Roberts who appeared on Strictly in 2018, although they were not a couple: she danced with Pasha Kovalev.

He dated Love Island stunner Maura Higgins for four months in 2021, while Giovanni was linked to fellow Strictly Professional Jowita Przystal in 2022.

Meanwhile, Bianca split from her director husband Dario Acocella in 2017. The couple has a daughter named Alice.