Strictly star Pernice waltzes into city to help raise £60,000
STRICTLY Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice put fans in a spin when he took to the floor at the Glasgow Hilton hotel.
He whirled dance partner Luba Mushtuk around the room to help raise money for the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice at The (A Little Less) Strictly Come Dancing event, where the couple wowed the sell-out crowd with the tango, rhumba and jive.
Saturday night’s event, which raised £60,000 for a new hospice, saw six couples made up of the charity’s supporters and professional dancers compete for a glitterball trophy, which was won by Ian Johnstone and Tracy Donald.
Mr Pernice said: “It was completely overwhelming to win – I really feel I’ve done everyone proud. More than 80 people came along to support me and I raised more than £8,000 for the hospice.
“It is such a great cause. This event raises money for patients and families who need the support of the hospice and we are delighted to do what we can to help.
“We’ve been to Glasgow before with the Strictly Live tour and love the city – the crowds are fantastic.”
Runner-up Sarah Kelso, who works for Scottish Enterprise, said she has had many friends and relatives who have relied on the charity’s services and was delighted to do something in return.
She said: “Training was great fun, but on the day we were all a bit nervous but the important thing was to remember why we were all doing this – it really made the whole experience worthwhile.”
Robin Hagman, of Cinch Ideas, said he was fundraising for the hospice because it was a charity that did wonderful work.
The total target of of the £21 million Brick by Brick Appeal to build a new home for the hospice at Bellahouston Park has reached £19.6m.