From the outset, the Italian dancer wowed the judges with a clean sweep of 10s while performing the Charleston with Coronation Street star Georgia May Foote and reached the grand final. He won the competition’s Glitterball trophy with EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis in 2021. He was born in Sicily and loved to dance from an early age.
At 14 he moved to Bologna to hone his skills at a prestigious school, becoming proficient in Latin dance. He first started dancing in competitions as an adult in 2008, and won the Italian Championships in 2012. After joining Strictly nine years ago, he dated Foote until she announced in 2016 that they had split, citing their “very busy work schedules for the rest of the year” and saying they were “better off” as friends.
In that year’s competition Pernice was partnered with Love Island star Laura Whitmore, but they were knocked out in week seven. Undeterred, he announced his first tour of the UK with the Dance Is Life show in November 2016. In 2017 he reached the Strictly final with magician Paul Daniels’ widow Debbie McGee, and again in 2018 with Steps singer Faye Tozer.
However, his hopes the following year were dashed when he and RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Michelle Visage were knocked out in Blackpool. A year later, in 2020, he reached the semi-final with newsreader Ranvir Singh and his fortunes continued to improve with his 2021 partner, Ayling-Ellis, Strictly’s first deaf contestant. They couple won viewers’ hearts wit.
