Strictly duo take some In-Spire-ation from city’s new landmark
Sunderland’s new Northern Spire bridge was thrown into the national limelight when it featured on hit TV show Strictly Come Dancing at the weekend.
The new bridge took centre stage as it hosted dancing favourites Faye Tozer and Giovanni Pernice during one of their rehearsal sessions earlier this week.
The bridge, boasting its 105m-tall central pylon, was showcased during the BBC flagship show as adopted Mackem Faye and Italian professional dancer Giovanni practiced their Foxtrot routine on the bridge deck.
And, the practice paid off as the pair danced their way to next week’s show.
Sunderland City Council invited the couple to be the first to dance on the new bridge to celebrate Faye’s connection to the city. Faye is married to a Sunderland businessman and lives in Boldon.
Amid a veil of secrecy, the bridge was temporarily closed to allow the Strictly film crew to capture the pair practising their moves on the deck.
Faye said: “I’m very proud and honoured to have had the experience of dancing across Northern Spire.
“It’s a beautiful bridge and the views across Sunderland are pretty amazing. We have had a great time.”
Giovanni, who is enjoying his fourth series on Strictly, said practising on the bridge deck was far more interesting than practising in a dance studio.
The couple, who are among the bookies favourites to win Strictly 2018, were awarded an impressive 33 points for their Foxtrot on Saturday’s show.
And, on Sunday night they were saved by the viewers as Vick Hope and her professional partner, Graziano Di Prima, became the fourth star to depart the dancefloor.
Faye and Giovanni are among the eleven remaining couples who will return to the dance floor next week for the Strictly Come Dancing Halloween special.
Leader of Sunderland City Council, Coun Graeme Miller, thanked members of the public for their patience and understanding when Northern Spire closed on Tuesday to enable filming to take place for the Strictly show.
He said: “We take road closures very seriously, and try to avoid them unless we have good reason.
“It’s not every week that one of the biggest shows on TV wants to come and film in your city, so we thought it was a wonderful opportunity to showcase our newest landmark, Northern Spire, to the rest of the country.”
“It’s a beautiful bridge and the views across Sunderland are pretty amazing”