Distracted Giovanni Pernice ‘doesn’t want to be there at all’ after Strictly solo return | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV
Giovanni Pernice showed signs of “not wanting to be there at all” as he appeared on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night, claimed a body language expert.
The 33-year-old and his celebrity partner Amanda Abbington withdrew from the competition earlier this week but Giovanni will continue to appear on the show until the end of the series as all professionals do.
During Halloween week on Saturday, the Italian-born dancer was seen in the background as host Claudia Winkleman spoke to other contestants after their routines.
Body language expert Judi James has suggested Giovanni didn’t look like he actually wanted to be there.
She told The Mirror: “Halloween is traditionally Giovanni’s biggest week on Strictly, but this time it was more like a personal and professional nightmare.
“Instead of thrilling fans with one of his sensual, spooky routines he was relegated to the back row on the balcony thanks to his partner Amanda pulling out of the competition and his body language suggested a desire to not be there at all.”
The expert said she believes the dancer did everything he could to stay out of shot, pulling other dancers to stand in front of him and looking distracted.
She said his pose looked “submissive and self-protective,” as he stood in the background.
It was revealed on Monday that Amanda, 51, had decided to exit the show and miss out on competing for the coveted Glitterball trophy.
The BBC released a statement on the official Strictly Instagram page where they broke the news to their 1.1 million followers.
They said Amanda was unable to continue and wished her all the best for the future.
Amanda’s fellow celebrities including Ellie Leach, Angela Scanlon and Zara McDermott rushed to the comments section to show their love and support for the actress.
The Sherlock star shared her own statement on her Instagram page for her 140,00 followers and despite thanking her fellow celebrities, she failed to mention Giovanni in her message.
The pair’s exit came after Amanda and Giovanni didn’t perform the week before the announcement, due to medical reasons.
Strictly Come Dancing airs tonight at 7:20pm on BBC One
