Giovanni Pernice admits ditching Kai Widdrington in bid to win Celebrity Hunted

Former Strictly star Giovanni Pernice has admitted he was prepared to ditch his friend Kai Widdrington for a chance to win Celebrity Hunted.

The Italian dancer teamed up with Kai for the Channel 4 show and marks his return to British television after last competing on Strictly in 2023.

Giovanni remained in the headlines last year after a lengthy investigation into his behavior behind the scenes on Strictly. Ultimately, the BBC cleared Giovanni of any physical assault towards his dance partner Amanda Abbington. However, the company upheld six of the 17 complaints.

Giovanni Pernice to star in Celebrity Hunted

The premise of the show sees the couple take on five other famous couples being chased across the UK by a team of ex-cops. Known for his competitive personality, Giovanni admitted that he was willing to ditch his friend Kai to improve his chances of winning.

“It was super stressful. Kai and I are the best of friends, but I’m very competitive and he’s not on the same level when it comes to competitiveness. In fact, you will see that we are separating. I was thinking, I want to win, but Kai was thinking about where we could stay, it was nice.

“He said, ‘Here, it’s cool, it’s relaxed, it’s warm, let’s eat.’ And I was like, ‘I don’t need to eat.’ I don’t want to be hot. I want to escape the Hunters! »

“There were several times we almost got caught.”

During their mission, Giovanni revealed that there were “several times we almost got caught.” As a result, he told Kai that they had to split up because Giovanni “really wanted to win this.” As a result, Kai accepted the decision. But will it pay off?

After their time on the show, he believes viewers will learn more about what he and Kai are like outside of Strictly.

“We bicker and argue like an old married couple. I hope it will be entertaining. But it’s really us who are ourselves. It’s not staged,” Giovanni said.

Celebrity Hunted airs Sunday January 5 on Channel 4 at 9pm.

Read more: Strictly star Giovanni Pernice ‘confirms’ new romance with series co-star Bianca Guaccero

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