‘Strictly Come Dancing’ star Debbie McGee has opened up about her relationship with professional partner Giovanni Pernice, comparing him to her late husband, Paul Daniels.
Debbie - who has repeatedly been forced to address rumours that there’s more to her relationship with Giovanni than dancing - has admitted she has been pleasantly surprised by how much chemistry she has with the Italian professional.
She told OK! Magazine: “It’s one in a million. We realised we wanted to dance together, but I don’t think we realised the absolute chemistry we’d have.
“There’s a magic that is happening.”
Confessing that the other contestants “take the mickey” out of them for their closeness, Debbie added: “He really cares, he doesn’t just care about me, he cares about everybody. He makes everyone feel special and that’s what Paul used to do, and that’s what I love about him.
“We’ve laughed about how similar we are. Why does it happen in life? I don’t know. We just have this incredible bond.”
Setting the record straight over the weekend, Debbie insisted: “The truth is we really like each other but it isn’t a love affair. We love each other, but we are not in love with each other. It’s just one of those very special friendships.”
She’d previously revealed that ‘Strictly’ had made her feel “genuine happiness” for the first time since the death of her husband Paul Daniels last year.
Debbie said: “Until now, there was still this knot in my stomach and… the fact I’ve lost him [was there].
“But these last three weeks on ‘Strictly’, everyone is so lovely, at every level, I love all the other contestants, everybody I’m working with… they all make you feel so good and so wanted. They make you feel like they really want you on the programme.”
