Strictly Come Dancing's Giovanni Pernice discusses future on show

Giovanni Pernice has opened up about his future on Strictly Come Dancing, following the recent departure of a couple of the professional dancers.

Last year, Pernice won with Rose Ayling-Ellis, but he has confirmed that he's not leaving the BBC show anytime soon.

Pernice and Ayling-Ellis spoke to the press at the BAFTAs on Sunday evening (May 8) after the duo won the BAFTA Must-See Moment of the Year for their silent dance to Clean Bandit's 'Symphony' on Strictly.

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Speaking to the RadioTimes, Pernice said: "It's not in my DNA to quit anything. I'm very competitive, so let's bring on the next challenge."

Ayling-Ellis made history on Strictly Come Dancing last year as the first Deaf contestant to compete on the programme and also win the show.

In her acceptance speech, the EastEnders actress admitted winning the BAFTA was a "very special moment", especially as their moving performance was dedicated to the Deaf community.

She said: "Hopefully it's shown how powerful TV can be, where actually it can influence and change things.

"It even helped the BSL law to be passed recently and made people stand up more for sign language and better Deaf awareness and positiveness towards people. We've still got a long way to go, but it's such a great start. We are so, so, so proud of that."

Pernice's comments come after both Oti Mabuse and Aljaž Škorjanec confirmed they would not be returning for the 2022 series.

Mabuse described her seven years on the show as "unforgettable", while Škorjanec said "a dream became a reality" when he initially joined in 2013.

Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One and will return in the autumn.