Gorka Marquez has been swamped with love from fans as he spilled the beans on his return to Strictly Come Dancing.
The BBC finally put an end to the swirling rumours, announcing the line-up of pros ready to dazzle us on the dance floor come September. In a shock twist, Giovanni Pernice, 33, is bowing out amidst the storm of bullying allegations he’s staunchly denied.
But it’s all cheers for Spanish hunk Gorka, also 33, who’s gearing up for his ninth twirl on the show. He took to Instagram with a dapper snap of himself in a slick black suit, captioning: “Excited to be back for my 9th Series of @bbcstrictly and specially to celebrate 20 years of the best Show on TV. Keep Dancing.”
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The response was electric, with Strictly’s own Amy Dowden making a comeback after her courageous fight with breast cancer, chiming in with: “Yes G x.” Fans piled on the excitement, with one gushing: “Yesss so glad you’re back xx,” and another adding: “Wouldn’t be the same without you,” reports the Mirror.
(Image: BBC/Ray Burmiston)
Yet, amid the celebrations, a fan couldn’t help but mention Giovanni’s notable absence, saying: “Always excited for it, but it won’t be the same without Gio. Massive, massive loss for the show.”
Giovanni Pernice, the Strictly Come Dancing sensation, has been at the heart of a storm after Amanda Abbington called him “nasty” and made allegations about his “threatening and abusive” behaviour during their training sessions. Despite denying these claims, Giovanni’s eight-year stint on the show appears to have come to an end as the BBC reportedly kicks off an internal probe following complaints from other dance partners, including Laura Whitmore.
Earlier this year, Giovanni finally addressed Amanda’s departure in a chat with The Mirror. On the Invite Only podcast, he confessed: “I am a perfectionist, 100%, but it comes from a perspective of caring.”
(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
The Italian stallion has been a glittering fixture on Strictly, even bagging the trophy in series 19 with Rose Ayling-Ellis.
He’s had a stellar run, finishing runner-up with Georgia May Foote in his debut series, and again with Debbie McGee and Faye Tozer in series 15 and 16. However, series 20 saw a dip when he and Richie Anderson were knocked out early, landing in 14th place.
The line-up for the upcoming September season of Strictly Come Dancing has been officially announced, with dancers Gorka and Amy confirmed to return. They will be joined by a stellar cast including Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Graziano Di Prima, Karen Hauer, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Luba Mushtuk, Jowita Przystal, Johannes Radebe, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Michelle Tsiakkas and Vito Coppola.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
