Every year rumours swirl around which pairing will fall victim to the infamous “Strictly curse” – and this year fans haven’t held back in commenting on the undeniable chemistry between TV presenter Ranvir Singh and her hunky partner Giovanni Pernice.
And last week, speculation intensified after an unearthed audio clip of the pair was discovered, in which Giovanni, 30, was heard telling Ranvir, 43, just seconds before their performance of American Smooth, “Love you. Surprise. It’s our song, baby girl. I love this song. I love you, let’s go.”
The couple have sailed through the competition – and, after they entranced viewers with their electric Argentine tango last month, as well as being pictured arm-in-arm after rehearsals, they set tongues wagging that there could be something more between them.
While Ranvir – who confirmed she had split from husband Ranjeet Dehal weeks before Strictly began – has laughed off the rumours, it’s clear she’s smitten with the show and has formed a bond with her dance partner, telling Closer that her son Tushaan, eight, is Giovanni’s number one fan.
She says, “Doing Strictly is invigorating, it’s exhilarating and I feel incredibly lucky. And Giovanni is great – he just tells me to forget about everyone else and focus on what we’re doing. He’s built to compete – he’s a competitive person, whereas I’m really not.
“My son is super-excited about it all. He’s so cute and lovely and is a massive supporter of the both of us. If I ever FaceTime him, the only thing he says is, ‘Is Gio there? Is Gio…?’. All he wants to do is to be like Giovanni – he adores him! He really is a lovely, sweet little thing.”
Check out: 14 Strictly Come Dancing affairs that shook our world
Strictly Come Dancing Affairs That Gave Us The Shock of Our Lives - slider use this one
1 of 15Check out all the relationships hit by the Strictly Come Dancing curse...
2 of 151. 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.
3 of 152. 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.
4 of 153. 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.
5 of 154. 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.
6 of 155. 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.
7 of 156. 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.
8 of 157. 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."
9 of 158. 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."
10 of 159. 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?
11 of 1510. 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."
12 of 1511. 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.
13 of 1512. 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."
14 of 1513. 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".
15 of 1514. 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.
Prior to joining the show, Ranvir revealed she was feeling anxious about the revealing costumes she’d have to wear, adding that gaining a stone during lockdown had affected her body confidence. But the star now says that the vigorous training schedule has left her feeling healthier and happier.
She says, “I’ve definitely lost weight – I feel trimmer than I have done in a long time. My confidence has improved. At the beginning, I was shy. It’s liberating just sensing that your confidence is growing week by week.
“You’re using your body at a rate you’ve never used it before. I’ve never been a gym bunny and I don’t really enjoy exercise… but Strictly is reigniting a small modicum of pride in what my body can achieve.
“It’s a lot of energy – I’ve been taking liquid iron, because that helps reduce fatigue. I’ve also been drinking more Berocca and coffee! And, of course, with Giovanni – his body is just always primed to work, no matter how long we’ve been training. So I just find a way to keep up.”
Ranvir has been political correspondent at Good Morning Britain for six years and stars alongside Piers Morgan, Susanna Reid, Ben Shephard and Charlotte Hawkins. And she says that Susanna – a Strictly finalist in 2013 – has offered her advice from her time on the show.
She says, “Susanna said that the adrenaline of learning something new keeps you going – and she’s right. There’s been lots of other good advice from people – just to throw yourself into it, try to give it everything you’ve got, and see where you go.
“Piers is actually secretly incredibly supportive. He likes to gloat on air, but he’s been supportive privately. He’s not a softie in real life, but he is who he is. He wants us all to do well.”
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Having soared through each round with high scores and praise for her tender and highly-charged performances – even earning her first ten in week five – Ranvir is now coming to terms with the fact that she might actually reach the final, and possibly lift that famous glitterball trophy.
She says, “It’s never occurred to me that I might get to the final. The only thing I can concentrate on is making sure I’ve got good posture and bendy knees for each Saturday.
“Giovanni dreams of lifting the glitterball, though. All I try to do is the best dance that my body and my mind can produce. We’ll see where that takes us!”
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