Former Strictly star Giovanni Pernice is spending Christmas with his Italian dance partner after they scooped top prize in the country’s version of the popular dance show.

It comes after Giovanni, 34, vowed to marry divorced mother-of-one Bianca Guaccero, 43, after they landed the top spot – thanks in part to die-hard fans voting from the UK.

Bianca’s mother, Rosaria Salierno, has also given the seal of the approval to their budding relationship, saying she would ‘love to have him as a son-in-law’.

Speaking to Italian media after Saturday night’s win Bianca said: ‘Giovanni will be with us at Christmas, in Bitonto (her home town in southern Italy) all together.

‘He will meet my big fat family from Puglia. It’s a bit like the acid test: if he gets through Christmas, he’s won.’

When asked what type of person Giovanni was and how much love played a part in their win on Ballando Con Le Stelle, Bianca said: ‘A lot. The sentimental union between me and Giovanni gave an extra depth to the work.

‘But it wasn’t easy to manage the two levels.

‘If we didn’t agree on an aspect of the dance, we were angry maybe for a whole day.’

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Former Strictly star Giovanni Pernice with his Italian dance partner Bianca Guaccero, 43, after they scooped top prize in the country’s version of the popular dance show

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The two (pictured) met when he joined the Italian dance show, Ballando con le Stelle, earlier this year

Bianca Guaccero and Giovanni Pernice performing during an episode of Ballando con le Stelle in Rome in November

Bianca added: ‘I’ve had great loves, and from one of them (the director Dario Acocella) in 2014 my daughter was born.

‘But beyond my husband, there were troubled, unhealthy loves, which changed me and made me more cynical. By now I was convinced that I didn’t have the lucky star of love.

‘Giovanni is a very demanding person, but he gives a lot of himself and puts you first.

‘I’m like him, I always put my partner first and we understand each other in this.

‘He’s a gallant. I liked him right away, but I tried to keep him at a distance at the beginning. Then slowly, between one rehearsal and another, we fell in love, and I let myself go.’

Bianca also revealed that crucially he had also won over her daughter Alice who said she ‘likes him a lot’ but when asked about marriage coyly replied: ‘Three months isn’t very long…’

However, her mother Rosaria was far more upbeat and said: ‘Giovanni has been to visit me and my husband in Puglia and I really like him as a person.

‘Bianca has never expressly told me she is in love, but you don’t need to announce it, you can see and feel it and this is enough.

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Bianca (left) revealed that crucially Giovanni (right) had also won over her daughter Alice

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The win marked the end of a traumatic year for Giovanni, who left the BBC series after more than 10 years following a probe by TV chiefs probing claims by former dance partner Amanda Abbington who said he ‘bullied’ her (Giovanni and Amanda pictured)

‘I’d love him to become my son in law – I think we are on a good path.’

The win marked the end of a traumatic year for Giovanni, who left the BBC series after more than 10 years following a probe by TV chiefs probing claims by former dance partner Amanda Abbington who said he ‘bullied’ her.

After winning the Italian version with a breathtaking tango, Giovanni said he would ‘seriously think about marrying Bianca’, adding: ‘After a long time, there is someone who takes care of me and cares about me.

‘A woman like her has been missing from my life.’