Giovanni has been given odds 10/11 that he will enter the BB house (Image: Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)

Professional dancer Giovanni Pernice, who did not appear in the 2024 series of Strictly Come Dancing following allegations of bullying, is the latest person to be named as a potential Celebrity Big Brother contestant. The new series of the celebrity version of Big Brother is expected to begin next month with AJ Odudu and Will Best returning as hosts.

According to Card Player, the former Strictly pro has been given odds of 10/11 to appear in the new series, putting him alongside GB News presenter Eamonn Holmes at the same odds. Drag queen Daniel Curtis (Danny Beard) tops the market at 1/3, followed closely by ex-Love Islander Chris Hughes (4/11) and legendary sportsman Daley Thompson (2/5).

Lee Astley, spokesperson for Card Player, said: “We could see the return of Giovanni Pernice to our screens in the near future, with the former Strictly Come Dancing Professional tipped to appear in this year’s edition of Celebrity Big Brother.”

Eamonn Holmes is among the celebrities tipped to enter the Big Brother house this spring (Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Other celebrities rumoured to appear include The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna, EastEnders actor James Bye, MAFSUK star Ella Morgan, Coronation Street’s Jack Shepherd and former CBBC presenter Angellica Bell.

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Earlier this year, Giovanni spoke out about how his life has changed since he faced bullying allegations from actress Amanda Abbington, who was his celebrity partner on Strictly Come Dancing in 2023.

Chris Hughes is also expected to be on Celebrity Big Brother (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Universal Music)

On the first night of his stage tour in January, Giovanni told the audience: “Nobody wanted to be seen with me. I felt like the world collapsed…. I didn’t have anybody around me. All the people that were supposed to be my friend disappeared.” He said how he “felt alone”, adding: “Nobody wanted to see me, they were like ‘oh you can’t be with him.'”

Giovanni had been accused of being a bully by his dance partner. An internal BBC investigation later upheld six of 17 complaints against him but not those of physical aggression.

Before the allegations, Giovanni said he felt “like I was on the top of my game.” He says: “I was untouchable, was a superhero….but fate did have different plans for me.”

Amanda Abbington spoke about her ‘hardest year’ on This Morning(Image: ITV)

Amanda Abbington, meanwhile, talked about “the hardest year” of her life on This Morning on Monday morning. She insisted she had no regrets about the previous months following her accusations.

She told hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley: “It’s been tricky. I don’t want to go over old ground. I don’t regret what happened. It’s time to move on – it was one of the hardest years of my life.”

Amanda also discussed her plans to postpone her wedding to Jonathan Goodwin, the Britain’s Got Talent star. “We just want to get this year out of the way. we still have things hanging over us in terms of litigation. We want to get this year out of the way,” she said of their plans to postpone their big day to 2026.