Have Maura Higgins and Giovanni Pernice SPLIT?

Amid rumours the Strictly curse has struck again

Maura Higgins Giovanni split

by Daisy Hall |
Updated on

And just like that another celebrity couple has bitten the dust as a result of the Strictly curse…

Yep, Strictly Come Dancing pro Giovanni Pernice and Love Island’s Maura Higgins have sparked rumours of a split after deleting all traces of each other from their respective Instagram accounts.

There used to be sweet snaps and goofy videos of the two of them together and now… nothing.

Whilst there is no reason to suggest that Giovanni is anything more than good friends with his dance partner, actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, they have been sharing a lot of cosy pics together… We’re not saying anything…

Maura and Giovanni first sparked romance rumours back in June after they were spotted staying at the same Cornish hotel.

They then confirmed their relationship the following month and were reportedly set to be moving in together despite being together for such a short time.

CHECK OUT the Strictly affairs that gave us the shock of our lives

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Strictly Come Dancing Affairs That Gave Us The Shock of Our Lives - slider use this one

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Check out all the relationships hit by the Strictly Come Dancing curse...

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1. Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole

Strictly's Camilla Dallerup revealed she suffered a 'mini death' when her fiancé Brendan Cole reportedly left her in 2004 for his Strictly dance partner Natasha Kaplinsky. Natasha and Brendan never confirmed they were romantically involved. Natasha said: "There was chemistry, of course, and I certainly fell in love with dancing, but I did not fall in love with Brendan."The pair have since married other people, whilst Camilla married former Hollyoaks star Kevin Sacre in 2010.

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2. Joe Calzaghe and Kristina Rihanoff

Just one week into his stint on Strictly in 2009 and Joe Calzaghe split with his girlfriend of five years, Jo-Emma Larvin. It wasn't long before the boxer and his professional dance partner Kristina Rihanoff embarked on a romance. Unfortunately it wasn't to last and they split four years later.

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3. Ben Cohen and Kristina Rihanoff

Following his 2013 stint on the show, rugby star Ben Cohen revealed he'd split from wife of 11-years Abby. He was then forced to deny he was romantically involved with former partner Kristina Rhianoff, after the pair were spotted linking arms on a London tube train.Ben and Kristina have since started a relationship and the pair welcomed their first child together in 2016.

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4. Matt Di Angelo and Flavia Cacace

Things must have been awkward backstage at Strictly in 2007 when Flavia Cacace reportedly dumped her long-term dance partner and boyfriend of eight-years, Vincent Simone, for Eastenders actor Matt Di Angelo.At the time the actor told the Daily Mail: "The funny thing was the story did not start off as true, but the more you read it, the more you started to believe it and actually act on it."However, Flavia split from Matt in 2010 and went on to wed actor Jimi Mistry (who she met whilst partnered together on Strictly in 2010) in December 2013.

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5. Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna

Former Hollyoaks actress Ali Bastian and her dance partner, Brian Fortuna, got together in 2009 after starring together on the show - but split a year later.

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6. Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev

Rachel Riley surprised everyone when she revealed she was splitting from husband of just 15-months Jamie Gilbert during her time on Strictly in 2013. Less than a year later, the Countdown star announced she was dating her Strictly partner Pasha Kovalev - but insisted there was no overlap between the two romances.

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7. Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev

Kara Tointon not only bagged the Strictly glitter ball in 2010 but also a hunky new boyfriend when she embarked on a romance with her Strictly partner Artem Chigvintsev.However, after three years of being together the pair split, and the former EastEnders actress told The Telegraph: "We are not together. We're fine, but we aren't a couple anymore."

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8. Georgia May Foote and Sean Ward

When Georgia entered the competition in 2015 she was dating her Coronation Street co-star, Sean Ward. At the time she reassured everyone that she was in a happy relationship and she was just good friends with her dance partner Giovanni.However, shortly after the competition finished she ended her relationship with Sean and started a relationship with Giovanni.Unfortunately Georgia and Giovanni split before series 14 started. The former Coronation Street actress announced the news on Twitter, writing: "It is with great sadness we have decided to split up. There is nobody else involved."Although it was not an easy decision to make sometimes you realise that it is better to be friends and this is one of those times."We both have very busy work schedules for the rest of the year so we are both going to focus on our upcoming work projects and we wish each other well for the future."

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9. Helen George and Oliver Boot

Helen George appeared on Strictly in 2015 and split from her husband Oliver Boot of three years. Were they hit by the Strictly curse?

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10. Susanna Reid Dominic Cotton

Susanna Reid featured on Strictly during series 11. After the show finished, Susanna and her partner Dominic Cotton split.The TV presenter denied the end of their relationship being related to the Strictly curse, she told the Daily Mirror: "I think people think Strictly was bound in what happened. It wasn't."Obviously things have been challenging in my personal life but we are getting things sorted."

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11. Louise and Jamie Redknapp

The whole world was shocked in 2017 when Louise and Jamie Redknapp confirmed they were divorcing after 19 years of marriage.The news came just months after she competed in Strictly Come Dancing 2016 alongside her professional dance partner Kevin Clifton.

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12. Karen and Kevin Clifton

After months of speculation Strictly Come Dancing professionals Karen and Kevin Clifton confirmed they'd split.Despite breaking up they've insisted they'll remain friends. During Chris Evans' breakfast show, Kevin explained: "Privately we are not together anymore but professionally we are stronger than ever before. Dance is how we came together and is what glues us together."We're still the best of friends – we still have a lot of love and respect for each other. What we've found is that since we've been honest with each other it's unlocked our creativity."Karen added: "We have such strong chemistry and it's about entertaining and inspiring. At the end of the day it's about giving back to fans. We're feeling very positive."

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13. Katya Jones and Seann Walsh

Everyone was shocked when photos of Seann Walsh and his professional dance partner Katya Jones were pictured together KISSING on the streets of London.While Katya is married to fellow Strictly professional Neil Jones, Sean is dating actress Rebecca Humphries.Since the news of the affair came to light, they've both apologised and blamed it as a "drunken mistake".

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14. Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton

Stacey Dooley caused controversy when she went public with her romance with her dance partner Kevin Clifton. In March, Stacey and her ex-boyfriend Sam Tucknott split, with reports suggesting Sam was paranoid about Stacey's relationship with Kevin, after finding secret messages between the two on Stacey's phone. AWKWARD.

Ironically Giovanni had previously spoken about his relationship in the context of the Strictly curse saying, “Maura is absolutely fine in the send that it’s not a curse. I’m going to dance with my celeb and she will be supporting me all the way.

“Realistically, if you’re happy in your relationship there is no reason for the curse. If you’re happy with your wife or with your husband, you wouldn’t go on Strictly to cheat.”

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Despite having only been on air for less than a month, Strictly 2021 has already been struck by its fair share of drama.

It was announced last week that Peep Show star Robert Webb was forced to pull out of the competition due to health concerns.

Robert’s professional dance partner, Diane Buswell, wished him a speedy recovery, writing on Instagram, “Sadly the legacy of Buswell and Webb has come to an end.

“Even though this was short lived, I have had such an amazing time dancing and working alongside Robert from our wacky cha cha to that serious tango, Robert showed he could do it all.

“Although I know we had more up our sleeves Robert’s health is by far the most important part in all of this and I’m wishing him a speedy recovery.

“Thank you to everybody who supported us this series it means the absolute world ❤️”.

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