TEN QUESTIONS WITH
ANTON & GIOVANNI
Giovanni Pernice helps his fellow Strictly star Anton Du Beke track down his family roots — in Spain
Having forged their friendship on Strictly Come Dancing, Anton du Beke and Giovanni Pernice had a surprise hit last year when they took a guided tour round Giovanni’s Sicily. Now they are heading to Anton’s homeland.
Why did you choose to go to Spain this time?
Anton Du Beke My mum comes from northern Spain and I haven’t been to that part of the country for 40 years, so I wanted to show Giovanni where I grew up. We also went to parts of Spain that I’ve never seen, like Granada, Seville, Madrid and Bilbão.
Giovanni Pernice I’d never been to Spain at all! This was the perfect way to do it. I loved seeing where Anton played as a child. We also tried some Spanish dancing and realised that the paso doble we do doesn’t match what they do. We looked at each other like, “We’ve been doing something wrong.”
You’ve been friends for ten years. Do you think that chemistry comes across on screen?
Giovanni This is why our travelogue is the best one out there. It’s real; it’s not just two celebrities put together. We were on stage together for three years, and we bounce off each other perfectly. Anton The thing about doing theatre is that every night is different. I have a propensity to say whatever comes into my head, so we learnt that we’re better unscripted.
The first series was praised for going against “toxic masculinity”. You do seem very comfortable and tactile together.
Anton I love the way you bring that up out of context!
Giovanni We dance together, we don’t care what people think. If I want to kiss Anton, I’ll kiss Anton and he’ll kiss me – he’s only human!
Has filming these shows made you even closer?
Anton I spent more time with Giovanni last year than with my wife Hannah.
Giovanni What’s created more connection is involving our families. Hannah and the kids came to Spain, and I got to see Anton’s mum, too. It’s very nice for me to be part of the family now.
What were some of your highlights in Spain?
Anton We loved Benidorm. We woke up on the first day, stepped onto our balconies, and there was this aqua aerobics class going on, so we got involved with that.
Giovanni Bear in mind these were British people, so when we walked onto the balcony it was like when the Pope comes out.
Who gets recognised more?
Giovanni Wherever Anton goes, everybody knows. They get confused with me. I get called Gorka, Gino. They go, “Ah, you’re the one with Rachel Riley.” No, that’s Pasha. When I started doing shows my audience would be people from their 20s upwards. But when I joined for
