Strictly Come Dancing burst back onto our screens on Saturday night as this year's celebrities made their debuts with their dancing partner, but there's already been a savage prediction made by fans.
Among the likes of Love Island star, Zara McDermott, EastEnders actor Bobby Brazier and TV presenter Annabel Croft are the talented professional dancers hoping to help their partner take home this year's Glitterball trophy.
The BBC One show returned on Saturday, 16 September for its pre-recorded launch show where we found out the partners and got our first glimpse of their moves. A special tribute was also paid to the late Len Goodman and a heartfelt message was sent to Amy Dowden amid her ongoing cancer treatment who is absent from this year's series.
While we've only seen a glimpse into this year's celebrities and their dancing abilities, fans have already predicted that Giovanni Pernice will not be lifting up the Glitterball trophy. The Italian jiver won the nineteenth series of Strictly with EastEnders actress, Rose Ayling-Ellis in 2021.
This year, the dancing pro who has been on the show for eight years has been partnered with Amanda Abbington, who is best known for playing Josie Mardle in Mr Selfridge and Mary Morstan in Sherlock. She was famously in a 16 year relationship with The Hobbit actor Martin Freeman.
Giovanni and Amanda met for the first time for the show and seemed over the moon with their new dancing partnership as Giovanni said: "I’ve been doing this show for a long time now and I have never had a reaction like this. She was very happy which makes me happy obviously."
While Amanda added: "I’m ecstatic. We have the same sense of humour. I’m a really good student, I go for straight As all the time."
But fans were left unconvinced of the new pairing and took to X, formerly known as Twitter to express their concerns. One wrote: "I don’t see Giovanni lasting too long this series either."
While another said: "Sorry to Giovanni fans, but I can’t see him lasting long with the partner he has…"
"Justice for Giovanni, they’ve done him dirty there", commented a third. One viewer, clearly a fan of the pro dancer expressed: "She better not be [bleep] and make Giovanni leave early."
Before making her debut on the glitzy BBC One dancing competition Amanda already caused a stir on social media as she sparked backlash after speaking out about a person dancing in boots and bondage harness.
In March, the actress tweeted: "I lost quite a few followers for saying that a semi-naked man in thigh high boots dancing in a highly sexualised way shouldn’t be performing in front of babies and it tells me everything I need to know about where society is heading. How do you not agree with me on this?"
Amanda was hit with backlash from Strictly viewers who claimed they would boycott the show. In a bid to make amends, Amanda took to Instagram and wrote: "I’m not a hateful person, I support the trans community and I also support women’s rights. So sorry if you feel you have to boycott Strictly for a tweet I made about a drag show but I don’t think 12 year olds should be doing overly sexualised drag acts."
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