Strictly Come Dancing's Giovanni Pernice Addresses Ashley Roberts Romance Rumours

"Sorry to disappoint you..."

‘Strictly Come Dancing’ professional Giovanni Pernice has spoken out over rumours that he and former Pussycat Dolls singer Ashley Roberts have been cosying up behind the scenes.

Last week, The Sun reported that Giovanni and Ashley - who are not partnered together on the show - had been on “a string of secret dates”, and had even shared a kiss.

However, when Giovanni and his celebrity partner Faye Tozer paid a visit to ‘This Morning’ on Thursday, he was quick to shoot down rumours that he and Ashley were an item.

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Faye Tozer and Giovanni Pernice
Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock

Initially playing coy when Phillip Schofield brought up the alleged romance, Giovanni later insisted: “According to the press I change girlfriend every single day.”

When Phillip questioned whether he had “settled on Ashley”, Giovanni replied: “No, we are really good friends. She’s a lovely person, but I’m single. I’m in Newcastle every single day [for training with Faye], so there’s no chance for me.”

He added: “I’m single… sorry to disappoint you.”

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Ashley Roberts
Jeff Spicer via Getty Images

In the past, Giovanni has dated his former ‘Strictly’ partner Georgia May Foote, later getting together with reality star Jessica Wright when the two went their separate ways.

So far in the competition, Giovanni and Faye have sailed through the competition, avoiding the bottom two completely and even topping the leaderboard on more than one occasion.

This week, they’ll be performing a Jive set to ‘Reet Petite’ by Jackie Wilson, and could well become the first couple of the series to bag a perfect score from the judges.

‘Strictly Come Dancing’ continues on Saturday night at 7pm on BBC One. ‘This Morning’ airs every weekday at 10.30am on ITV.

13 times the Strictly "curse" struck
Rachel Riley(01 of13)
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The Countdown presenter announced her split from her husband just weeks after her stint on the show. In 2014, she and pro dancer Pasha Kovalev confirmed they were dating, though she remained insistent that Strictly had nothing to do with her marriage split.

Rachel and Pasha later tied the knot and now have two children together, with the TV personality recently trying to distance herself from Strictly's so-called "curse".
(credit:Joe Giddens/PA Archive)
Susanna Reid(02 of13)
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Susanna's marriage ended in February 2014, weeks after she finished as a runner-up in the competition. The Good Morning Britain anchor continued to live with her ex, Dominic Cotton, and their two sons in the months that followed. (credit:Ian West/PA Archive)
Louise Redknapp(03 of13)
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After reaching the final of the 2016 series, Louise began to be plagued with rumours her 19-year marriage to former footballer Jamie Redknapp was on the rocks. Months later, the couple confirmed they had gone their separate ways. (credit:Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment)
Joe Calzaghe(04 of13)
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Boxer Joe and pro dancer Kristina Rihanoff initally denied romance rumours when they were paired together in 2009. However Joe split from his girlfriend just weeks later. Joe and Kristina later confirmed that they were a couple, before splitting after four years together. (credit:Mark Cuthbert via Getty Images)
Ben Cohen(05 of13)
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While on the show, Ben denied rumours that he was romancing his pro partner Kristina, and later split from his wife Abby. He and Kristina went on to confirm their relationship but remained insistent it had only begun after the breakdown of his marriage. The couple now have a child together. (credit:Steve Thorne via Getty Images)
Matt Di Angelo(06 of13)
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The EastEnders star reportedly first hooked up with Flavia Cacace during their time dancing together on the 2008 series – on which Flavia's then-boyfriend Vincent Simone was also a dancer. However, they weren't together for long... (credit:Jon Furniss via Getty Images)
Jimi Mistry(07 of13)
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Just a year after getting together with Matt, Flavia ended the relationship after finding love with her new dance partner Jimi. The couple married in 2013. (credit:Dave Hogan via Getty Images)
Natasha Kaplinsky (08 of13)
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Newsreader Natasha and Brendan were plagued by romance rumours when they were paired up for the first ever series of Strictly in 2004. Despite being insistent that they were just friends, Natasha and Brendan both split from their partners shortly after winning the series. (credit:MJ Kim via Getty Images)
Daisy Lowe(09 of13)
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Daisy split from her boyfriend Bradley "Frankie" Wade during her stint on Strictly in 2016. The relationship was still quite new and the pair struggled to find the time to see each other with her commitments to the show. (credit:PA Archive/PA Images)
Sunetra Sarker(10 of13)
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Sunetra split from her husband of 10 years just before filming for the 2014 series began. (credit:Eamonn M. McCormack via Getty Images)
Dani Harmer (11 of13)
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Tracey Beaker star Dani split from her boyfriend just days after filming began in 2012. (credit:John Phillips via Getty Images)
Helen George(12 of13)
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Just after Helen announced she was one of the 2015 contestants, the Call The Midwife actor revealed she was splitting from her husband of four years, Oliver Boot. (credit:Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment)
Georgia May Foote(13 of13)
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Georgia entered Strictly while in a relationship with former Coronation Street co-star Sean Ward. However, just after the series ended, the couple announced their split, and it wasn't long before she embarked on a relationship with dance partner Giovanni Pernice. They eventually broke up after less than a year together. (credit:Ian West/PA Archive)