It’s all Strictly low key, but Giovanni is with Jessica and not Debbie

JESSICA Wright has reportedly struck up a romance with Giovanni Pernice after meeting him through her younger brother Mark. The pair were spotted enjoying a drink together before watching the musical Dreamgirls last month, with an onlooker telling The Sun: ‘It was obvious to everyone it was a date. They were talking really closely, leaning into each other.’

The sighting comes after the duo were also seen enjoying some drinks at London hot spot Soho House last week. A friend of model and TV star Jessica’s told The Sun: ‘They’ve been on a few dates, but it’s early days.

‘They met through her brother Mark’s Strictly connections from when he was on the show and they’re getting to know each other.’

Representatives for Jessica, 32, and Giovanni have been contacted for comment, but had not responded at the time of going to print.

Giovanni recently reached the Strictly Come Dancing finals with Debbie McGee, 59, – with whom he was also romantically linked to.

However, Debbie, pictured with Giovanni, brushed off the claims when she appeared on ITV’s Loose Women, as she explained: ‘They’re totally ludicrous, we do have a special chemistry, he’s a very special person to me, I’m sure I am to him.

‘We love each other to bits, but there’s nothing more than a friendship there.’

Giovanni, 27, is said to have been introduced to Jessica through her reality TV star brother Mark – who made it to the Strictly finals in 2014 with Karen Clifton. While Giovanni didn’t join the series until a year later, Mark is said to have kept in touch with the wider Strictly family. Back in 2015, Jessica expressed a desire to follow her brother onto the show, after he made it to the final during a season that was won by Caroline Flack.

‘I love dancing, so that would be amazing. One day maybe,’ she told the Radio Times. ‘[Mark] got to the final, so who knows? [He] set the bar very high.’

She added: ‘He was always a footballer and I was a dancer growing up, so I suppose it’s more up my street. I just think the experience is amazing.’