Giovanni Pernice made his debut on the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday with his celebrity partner Bianca Guaccero.

The professional dancer, 34, is now starring on Ballando con le Stelle after leaving the UK version of the show amid a misconduct probe, with the BBC set to unveil the findings next week.

Making a triumphant return to screens, Giovanni and actress Bianca, 43, landed themselves in second place after performing the Samba.

They scored a total of 37 points from the five judges and viewers’ votes, but were awarded a 30 bonus points from the Regular Guest, which shot them up the leaderboard and into the top spot.

The show, hosted by Milly Carlucci, has a winning couple each episode, and one losing couple who is eliminated from the show.

Giovanni Pernice made his debut on the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday with his celebrity partner Bianca Guaccero

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Giovanni Pernice made his debut on the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday with his celebrity partner Bianca Guaccero