STRICTLY Come Dancing has signed up a new Italian dancer to replace Giovanni Pernice on the BBC1 series.
Simone Arena, 33, whose girlfriend Michelle Tsiakkas, 29 is also on the show, is set to be a new dancer after BBC producers revealed that two new pros would join the line-up this autumn.
Italian dancer Simone Arena has signed up to be a pro dancer on Strictly
Credit: Instagram
Arena’s girlfriend Michelle Tsiakkas is already on the show
Credit: Getty
It comes after Giovanni, 34, quit the scandal-hit show last summer after nine years on Strictly as he faced allegations over his training methods with previous celebrity partners — including 51-year-old actress Amanda Abbington.
A source said: “Simone blew the Strictly bosses away when he auditioned as a new professional on the show.
“He is no stranger to the Strictly format after previously starring as a pro on the Belgian, Italian and Irish versions of the series.
“Simone is well known among the pros and his girlfriend Michelle loved her time on the series last year.
“Fans will be delighted with Simone because he is very easy on the eye and certainly charming.”
In 2020 Simone joined the cast of Giovanni’s This Is Me Tour – but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Simone won the Belgian Dancing With The Stars with Olympic gymnast Nina Derwael, 25, in 2022.
In the same year his girlfriend Michelle joined the cast of Strictly and received her first celebrity partner last year with EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick, 30.
Giovanni Pernice drops new hint he’ll return to Strictly Come Dancing amid fears two stars are quitting
Last week Strictly bosses revealed the list of pro dancers who would be returning to the show this year.
The list included Katya Jones, Jowita Pryzstal and Kai Widdrington as well as last year’s winner Dianne Buswell, who took home the 2024 glitterball with her celebrity partner, comedian Chris McCausland.
Nadiya Bychkova, Aljaž Škorjanec, Amy Dowden, Carlos Gu, Gorka Márquez, Karen Hauer, Lauren Oakley, Luba Mushtuk, Nancy Xu, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Vito Coppola and Michelle are all returning for the 2025.
Sarah James, Executive Producer, BBC Studios said: “The excitement is already building ahead of the new series and in addition to welcoming back our fantastic returning pros, we are looking forward to welcoming two brand new professional dancers to the line up who will help bring another unforgettable series of dazzling dance and loads more besides to viewers later in 2025.”
Arena will replace Giovanni Pernice, who quit Strictly last year
Credit: Getty
News
My daughter left my 3 grandkids “for an hour” at my house but she never came back. 13 years later, she came with a lawyer and said I kidnapped them. But when I showed the envelope to the judge, he was stunned and asked: “Do they know about this?” I replied: “Not yet…
The gavel slams down like a thunderclap in the hushed Houston courtroom, shattering the silence that’s choked my life for…
MY SISTER AND I GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE TOGETHER, BUT MY PARENTS ONLY PAID FOR MY SISTER’S TUITION. “SHE DESERVED IT, BUT YOU DIDN’T.” MY PARENTS CAME TO OUR GRADUATION, BUT THEIR FACES TURNED PALE WHEN…
The morning sun cut through the tall oaks lining the campus of a small university just outside Boston, casting long,…
I JUST SIGNED A $10 MILLION CONTRACT AND CAME HOME TO TELL MY FAMILY. BUT MY SISTER PUSHED ME DOWN THE STAIRS, AND WHEN -I WOKE UP IN THE HOSPITAL MY PARENTS SAID I DESERVED IT. DAYS LATER, MY WHOLE FAMILY CAME TO MOCK ME. BUT WHEN THEY SAW WHO STOOD NEXT ΤΟ ΜΕ, DAD SCREAMED: ‘OH MY GOD, IT’S…
The courtroom fell into a sudden, heavy silence the moment I pushed open the massive oak doors. Every eye turned…
During Sunday Dinner, They Divided My Home — My Legal Team Crashed The Party — A Lawyer Pulled Out the Original Deed and Reversed the Partition in Minutes
The buzz of my phone cut through the quiet hum of my office like a siren. Outside the window, downtown…
My Family Banned Me From the Reunion — So I Let Them Walk Into the Beach House I Secretly Owned — They Opened a Closet and Found the Papers That Shattered Our Family
The email arrived like a paper cut. Small, quick, and bloodless — until it stung.It was a Tuesday morning in…
She Donated Blood — The Recipient Was a Dying Mafia Boss Who Wanted Her Forever — Hospital Records and Phone Logs Show He Tried to Track Her Down
Rain hit the pavement like bullets — each drop a metallic whisper cutting through the night. I stood there, soaked…
End of content
No more pages to load
