Giovanni Pernice announced that he is planning to take "a little break" following his tour next year. 

Taking to his Instagram account on Thursday, the Strictly Come Dancing professional, 33, said that he has had a ball performing on his tour but after the next one, aptly named: in 2025, he will be taking some time off. 

He wrote: "I have had a wonderful time this year on my solo tour and already looking forward to even bigger and better next year! 

"After performing in front of over half a million people for seven years in row, I plan to take a little break after next year’s tour, so book your tickets in advance for ‘GIOVANNI - THE LAST DANCE’ now at www.giovannipernice.com."

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Naturally, fans inundated the star with messages after the news. "Giovanni thank you and will miss your shows with having a break but please do come back and do more tours," one fan pleaded.

It hasn't been confirmed whether the star will be returning to the Strictly ballroom this year and his stint on the BBC show last year has been subject to speculation after his partner Amanda Abbington left unexpectedly during the series. 

At the time, she put her departure down to "personal reasons" but has since revealed that she has been diagnosed with PTSD.

Last month, according to the Sun, she and two other of Giovanni's previous dance partners, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh met up to swap notes after all three apparently found working with the dancer difficult. 

Talking about being on the show with Amanda, Giovanni told the Invite Only podcast: "It's a shame because, in my opinion, she could have gone all the way," the dancer said. "I am a perfectionist, 100%, but it comes from a perspective of caring." 

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During an appearance on This Morning,  Michelle Visage who partnered with Giovanni in 2019 said: "I don't like gossip, so I'm not here to gossip, but what I can say from my experience was yes, he's tough. 

"He's probably the toughest pro there is. I wanted that. So it depends, some people can handle that, some people don't want to handle that. I wanted that." 

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