Gio: Taking The Lead - Signed First Edition

by Pernice, Giovanni | Autobiography: arts & entertainment 
Published 27/08/2026 by Headline in the United Kingdom
Hardback | 288 pages
240 x 156mm | 0g

Signed First Edition - Hardback - Publishes August 27th

From Sicily to Strictly, Giovanni Pernice invites readers behind the spotlight for
the first time, sharing the journey that shaped him on the dance floor and
beyond it.

When Giovanni joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2015, he brought not just extraordinary talent and fierce ambition, but the instincts of a born entertainer. Week after week, he captivated audiences, building one of the most loyal fanbases in the show's history and becoming one of its most adored stars.

That drive was forged long before the spotlight. Growing up in Sicily, in a culture where discipline came early and ambition mattered, Giovanni trained at the prestigious Team Diablo - renowned for its uncompromising, no-excuses approach and for producing some of the world's leading Latin champions. The lessons of those years laid the foundations for everything that followed.

In 2021, the journey reached its pinnacle when he won the series with Rose Ayling-Ellis, delivering an unforgettable performance that later earned the TV Moment award at the British Academy Television Awards.

And then came the headlines.

After years at the heart of Britain's biggest entertainment show, Giovanni's journey on Strictly came to an unexpected end. The events that followed tested his resilience and reshaped his perspective on life. Through it all, one thing never changed: the connection with his audience.

Warm, candid and inspiring, Gio: My Story is about ambition, sacrifice, reinvention and finding strength when the music stops -