Nicola Roberts/Giovanni Pernice split image
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Strictly Christmas special star Nicola Roberts ‘in talks to join 2024 series’ after partnering with embattled Giovanni Pernice

Will the Girls Aloud star make her return to the dancefloor?

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Nicola Roberts is in talks to join the 2024 series of Strictly Come Dancing following her appearance on the show’s Christmas special in 2022, it’s been reported.

The Girls Aloud star is wanted by the show’s bosses, reports The Sun.

A source said: “Nicola is a beautiful dancer with amazing musicality. She was really impressive on the Strictly special and her waltz was beautiful. They’d love to have Nicola back and the offer is there for her. She has got a jam-packed summer with Girls Aloud but Strictly think she could be amazing if she fancied a whirl.”

Nicola Roberts and Giovanni Pernice dancing on Strictly Come Dancing
Nicola partnered up with Giovanni on the 2022 Christmas special (Credit: BBC)

From the Strictly Christmas special to the 2024 series?

Nicola was partnered with Giovanni Pernice, currently at the centre of a bullying row, in the special, but EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick and his pro partner Nancy Xu beat them to the Glitterball trophy.

That said, Nicola enjoyed her time on the show, saying: “I said I wanted fun and it has been fun.”

The 38-year-old’s Girls Aloud bandmate Kimberley Walsh went on Strictly in 2012, and finished as runner-up, while Kimberley and fellow bandmates Cheryl Tweedy and Nadine Coyle all watched Nicola perform on the special last year.

The quartet are currently in the middle of their comeback tour – they reunited last year after their bandmate Sarah Harding died from breast cancer in 2021.

Amanda Abbington
Amanda is one of a number of Gio’s former dance partners to have reportedly had issues with him (Credit: ITV)

Gio’s ongoing Strictly controversy

Meanwhile, Strictly pro Giovanni is embroiled in controversy. It began bubbling following the departure of his celebrity partner, Amanda Abbington, on last year’s series.

Amanda withdrew from the show in October on medical grounds. However, rumours of a feud between the two started to swirl. And, in January, it was reported that she’d suffered post-traumatic stress disorder from her time on the show. And, that she had requested recordings of her training sessions.

Two months later, it was reported that Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh – also both former Strictly partners of Gio – felt “very unhappy” with how the BBC responded to complaints about their experiences with him. They were said to have come together with Amanda to discuss their respective Strictly experiences.

There have been reports that Gio won’t be returning to Strictly. However, at the time of writing, nothing has been confirmed.

The BBC did not respond to a request for comment.

READ MORE: Nicola Roberts ‘wanted to strangle’ Giovanni Pernice during Strictly training sessions

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