COMPETITIVE EDGE
Strictly’s Giovanni Pernice makes ruthless decision on C4’s Celebrity Hunted as he returns to TV after bullying row
Kai Widdrington reckons fans are set to find out what he and Gio are really like away from the dancefloor
HE’S making his return to British TV after almost a year, and it seems Giovanni Pernice hasn’t lost his competitive edge.
The Italian has teamed up with Strictly pal Kai Widdrington for Channel 4’s Celebrity Hunted.
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They are among six famous pairings being chased across the country by a team of former cops.
And Giovanni was so determined to win, he ditched fellow professional dancer Kai to go it alone.
He said: “It’s exciting to be back on British TV. It’s been too long!”
But the star admitted: “It was super stressful. Me and Kai are the best of mates, but I’m very competitive and he is not at the same level when it comes to competitiveness.
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In fact, you will see we split up. I was thinking, ‘I want to win this’, but Kai was thinking about where we could stay that was nice.
“He was like, ‘Here is 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 warm. I want to escape the Hunters!’.”
Gio — who left Strictly last year amid a bullying row in which some, but not all, complaints against him were upheld — said their difference in pace led to several close calls.
“There was a few times we nearly got caught,” he explained. “So I said to him, ‘We have to split because I really need to win this’.”
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Kai agreed, hoping the tactic would double their chances of victory.
Now, he reckons fans are set to find out what he and Gio are really like away from the dancefloor.
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He said: “When we lived together, we did a couple of bits on social media and people got a little snippet of what we’re like.
“But they’re going to see what we’re really like doing this! We work very well together.
"We bicker and argue like an old married couple. Hopefully it’s going to be entertaining. But it is genuinely us being ourselves, it’s not put on.”
In the last series of Celebrity Hunted, Strictly pro Katya Jones hit the road with her best pal, Olympian Aimee Fuller, and the lads turned to her for help.
Kai revealed: “She said basically be on it all the time because you never know where the Hunters are. They could be anywhere.”
- Celebrity Hunted starts on Channel 4, Sunday, at 9pm.
Duncan 'questions sexuality'
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BLUE’S Duncan James was left “questioning his sexuality” after sharing a hot tub with topless Christine McGuinness.
The mum-of-three and singer, who is gay, sweet talk their way into a holiday home while on the run.
They make use of the hot tub in the garden and Duncan will be the envy of men across the country when Christine strips down to just a thong for a soak in the tub.
Duncan admitted: “My mum’s going to be watching this and I swear she’ll question my sexuality again.
“I think I’m actually questioning my sexuality!
“She was doing these back bends in the water and, at one point, I had her boobs in my face! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a naked woman like that, but I felt extremely comfortable.
“To be honest, we were naked around each other a lot on the run. We’re just such good mates it wasn’t ever an issue!”
The duo, dubbed Barbie and Ken by the Hunters, were determined to have as much fun as possible, even ending up at a dominatrix house in Bristol.
Duncan said: “That was hilarious. At one point I’m in a baby romper with a plaque round my neck which said Ray after the main Hunter and Christine was dressed in full dominatrix gear whipping me.
“It might have been a bit risky but it was a lot of fun!”
Simon 'weakness of team'
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HE is the oldest celebrity going on the run and newsreader Simon McCoy says he is nervous about staying one step ahead of the Hunters.
The 63-year-old former BBC news anchor – who is paired with ITN broadcaster Lucrezia Millarini – said: “When you get to my age being outdoors is quite daunting. I’m not quite as fit as I used to be.
“If there’s any running involved, I’m just putting two hands up and saying, ‘Take me’. I am the weakness of this team.”
But Lucrezia thinks age and wisdom will help them.
She said: “We’ve reported a lot of stories where fugitives have done it wrong, and we can learn from that. Never underestimate a news anchor!”
Pair eye historic victory
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SOAP babes Danielle Harold and Kimberly Hart-Simpson are determined to become the first women to win Celebrity Hunted.
Dubbed the “Targaryen twins” after the blond-haired Game of Thrones characters, by chief Hunter Ray Howard, the pair think they are the series’ most competitive duo.
Former Corrie star Kim said: “I would kill anyone to get to the end! No girls have ever won Celeb Hunted. We have to buck that trend.”
Danielle says her former EastEnders co-stars were on her list of pals to call for help.
She said: “There’s a few really iconic people in there and some people who are blasts from the past as well.
“The Mitchells will be helping me out, I’m sure!”
Den in it to wig it
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SOAP star Denise Welch is used to playing different characters but in Celebrity Hunted, her husband gets in on the act too.
Denise and Lincoln Townley packed a series of disguises to fool the Hunters for their time on the run.
She said: “Lincoln thinks that by putting a wig on no one in the world is going to recognise him when he looks ridiculous in wigs.
“If Lincoln turns up at someone’s door in a disguise, he looks like a psycho, they’ll never let us in!”
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But she admits as the only married couple competing on the show, fans can expect there to be fireworks as they clash over their game plan.
She said: “I think there’s every chance of us having a barney.”
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