Giovanni, 34, has teamed up with Strictly pal Kai Widdrington, 29, for Channel 4’s Celebrity Hunted after being kicked off Strictly during the BBC probe into Amanda Abbington‘s claims that the he had bullied her.
The Sicilian dancer joined the Italian version of Strictly – Ballando Con Le Stelle – after he was axed from the UK’s version, before being cleared of ten out of 16 allegations when the investigation concluded in September.
Celebrity Hunted sees a group of stars, AKA Fugitives, go on the run across mainland UK for 14 days as they are chased by the Hunters – a handpicked team of police and military personnel.
Hunters have access to all of the celeb’s personal information and use the ‘powers of the state’ to locate and capture them, including cyber forensic technology, ANPR, CCTV, helicopters, drones, dogs and call tracing.
They even use social media to bribe members of the public or captured contestants with monetary rewards in exchange for information on the celebs whereabouts.
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Giovanni Pernice proved that he has not lost his competitive edge after his break from British TV as he ditched fellow Strictly pro Kai Widdrinton in an effort to win Channel 4 ‘s Celebrity Hunted
Giovanni, 34, has teamed up with Strictly pal Kai Widdrington , 29, for Channel 4’s Celebrity Hunted
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It comes as Giovanni makes his return to British TV screens after being kicked off Strictly during the BBC probe into Amanda Abbington’s (pictured together) claims that the he had bullied her
Those who successfully evade capture for 14 days must reach a designated ‘extraction’ point on the final day before winning £100,000 for Stand Up To Cancer.
The Strictly pros are among six famous pairings participating in the suspenseful gameshow but Giovanni was prepared to throw Kai under the bus to win the show himself.
He said: ‘It’s exciting to be back on British TV. It’s been too long!’
‘It was super stressful. Me and Kai are the best of mates, but I’m very competitive and he is not at the same level when it comes to competitiveness.
‘In fact, you will see we split up. I was thinking, “I want to win this”, but Kai was thinking about where we could stay that was nice.
‘He was like, “Here is cool, it’s relaxed, it’s warm, let’s eat”. And I was like, “I don’t need to eat. I don’t want to be warm. I want to escape the Hunters!”.’
Giovanni explained that Kai’s slower pace nearly got them caught by the Hunter’s a few times.
He said: ‘There was a few times we nearly got caught. So I said to him, “We have to split because I really need to win this”.’
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The Sicilian dancer joined the Italian version of Strictly – Ballando Con Le Stelle – after he was axed from the UK’s version, before being cleared of ten out of 16 allegations when the investigation concluded in September
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Giovanni explained that Kai’s slower pace nearly got them caught by the Hunter’s a few times
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Kai explained that the show really encapsulates his a Giovanni’s close friendship and shows how the truly engage with eachother
Kai gracefully obliged with the hope that the plan would double their chances of winning.
The pair turned to Celebrity Hunted alumni and fellow Strictly pro Katya Jones for help as she went on the last season of the show with her Olympian best friend Aimee Fuller.
Recalling her advice, Kai said: ‘She said basically be on it all the time because you never know where the Hunters are. They could be anywhere.’
Also joining the star-studded cast of Celebrity Hunted is Loose Women’s Denise Welch, 66, and her husband Lincoln Townley, 51.
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Celebrity Hunted sees a group of stars, AKA Fugitives, go on the run across mainland UK for 14 days as they are chased by the Hunters – a handpicked team of police and military personnel
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Also joining the star-studded cast of Celebrity Hunted is Loose Women’s Denise Welch, 66, and her husband Lincoln Townley, 51 (Denise picture in her recent role on Emmerdale)
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The soap stars joining Celebrity Hunted are EastEnders actress Danielle Harold, 32, and Corrie’s Kimberly Hart-Simpson, 37
It comes as Denise enjoys a wave of new TV jobs, including appearing on an upcoming episode of Emmerdale as a member of the jury as Tom King faces trial for abusing his wife Belle Dingle. She is also being lined up to return to Waterloo Road.
The soap stars joining Celebrity Hunted are EastEnders actress Danielle Harold, 32, and Corrie’s Kimberly Hart-Simpson, 37.
Journalists including former BBC news anchor Simon McCoy, 63, and ITV News anchor Lucrezia Millarini, 48, are also on the list of this year’s Fugitives.
Other celebs joining the show include popstar Duncan James, 46, model Christine McGuinness, 36, podcasters David Whitely, 33, and Zeze Millz, 35.
