Made In Chelsea star Jamie Laing once made a huge revelation about Ranvir and Giovanni’s relationship on Strictly (Image: BBC)
Ranvir Singh was once expected to be another victim of the show’s infamous ‘curse’ with dance partner Giovanni Pernice. However, Jamie Laing had no doubt it would never happen.
Jamie Laing made a huge revelation about Ranvir Singh’s relationship with former Strictly Come Dancing partner Giovanni Pernice.
Competing in the 18th series of the BBC One show in 2020, the Good Morning Britain and Lorraine star was partnered up with the Sicilian, who has since been in the eye of a storm at the Beeb over allegations about his behaviour in the training room.
But when the pair were competing for the Glitterball Trophy, their chemistry on the dancefloor sparked rumours of a behind-the-scenes romance, with head judge Shirley Ballas gushing over their “flirting” – something which fellow Strictly contestant Jamie Laing held no regard for at the time.
Speaking to The Mirror in November, 2020, the Made In Chelsea star revealed at the time why he didn’t believe the infamous Strictly would strike again, saying that Ranvir had actually told him she “hated” Giovanni after a hard day’s training.
Ranvir Singh and Giovanni Pernice were once tipped to be the next victims of the Strictly curse, years before the dancer was targeted by a probe over his ‘abusive’ behaviour in the training room ( Image: PA)
Jamie said: “I was talking to Ranvir the other day, who’s just wonderful, and she said at the end of the day I HATE Giovanni. Hate him.’” However, he’d deemed then it was all in jest, highlighting a bond between the stars: “They have such a funny relationship, like brother and sister. He is so competitive and she is so laid back and it makes him furious. It’s hilarious. I just don’t see how the curse can happen.”
Ranvir had echoed Jamie’s sentiments during her own chat with The Mirror, claiming: “We both find the idea that we might get hit by the curse very funny – he is a 30-year-old man!” When questioned about her training sessions with the choreographer, she added: “Giovanni works me hard, I hobble home at the end of a day’s training with my goal being to get the family and puppy sorted, eat, and then put my feet up.”
However, she had also warned in 2020 that there was more to Giovanni’s “angelic” disposition as she admitted she was “a bit scared of him”, exclaiming on Good Morning Britain: “Don’t be fooled by his angelic face! He is a fiery Italian, super strict – I am a bit scared of him.”
While Amanda Abbington has opened up about her own time on the programme, which she explained left her struggling with PTSD, Ranvir Singh has kept silent over her former partner since, although she has been alleged to have flagged his “abusive” behaviour to producers.
Laura Whitmore was also thrown into the mix in March 2024, as she was said to have spoken about her “difficult experience” with Giovanni. It was then suspected that she could file a joint complaint with Amanda and Ranvir.
In 2018, however, Laura penned an article for The Huffington Post in which she lifted the lid on her experience with the dancer, writing: “I’m still not ready to talk in-depth about my experience on the show. I love dancing – I topped the leaderboard twice – but before it even begins, I was thrown into the lion’s den and into the middle of someone’s break-up that had nothing to do with me. Once again, I was a ‘rumoured love interest’.”
“I was placed with a dance partner I was extremely uncomfortable with – and in the end, I felt broken, I cried every day. And I really was broken, both mentally and physically, by the end. To the outside world, I tried to suck it up and smile, and I did that to the best of my ability, but it affected me deeply. My friends and family knew that I was struggling. And they were there for me. The media, however, saw me as blonde bait in a sequinned dress.”
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Source: The Wall Street Journal
