Strictly's Giovanni Pernice traps foot ahead of final in near-disastrous mishap

Giovanni Pernice caught his foot in a door on Thursday before filming It Takes Two

Strictly's Giovanni Pernice traps foot ahead of final
(Image credit: Getty)

Giovanni Pernice's place in the Strictly Come Dancing final came into jeopardy last night after the professional dancer nearly crushed his foot in a door. 

With just over 24 hours to go until Saturday's live show, the Strictly Come Dancing 2021 finalists know there's no time for slip-ups—especially when it comes to their feet. 

Tomorrow night's episode will see the two remaining couples—Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice, and John Whaite and Johannes Radebe—battle it out in front of the Strictly Come Dancing 2021 judges and millions of viewers in the hope of securing that coveted Glitterball trophy. Unfortunately, finalist AJ Odudu has been forced to withdraw from the glitzy competition with her partner Kai Widdrington due to a debilitating ankle injury. 

It appears the Channel 5 presenter's devastating blow wasn't enough to scare off Giovanni, however, who had a very close call with injury himself this week. 

Rose and Giovanni Strictly

Rose and Giovanni will compete on Saturday's final of Strictly 

(Image credit: BBC)

In footage obtained by the MailOnline, the 31-year-old can be seen nearly accidentally crushing his foot at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, London. The short video was taken on Thursday evening, just before the filming of 'It Takes Two', Strictly's chatty companion show. 

In the clip, which also shows Rose talking amicably to a fan, Giovanni attempts to stop a door from shutting after three men emerge from it. 

"Keep it, keep it, keep it," he says to them urgently, attempting to catch it with his foot. Unfortunately, the men appear to ignore his pleas, leaving Giovanni's foot momentarily trapped. 

"That's my foot!" he exclaims as the door closed in. "I can't get in?" 

Luckily, the talented choreographer escaped any real injury in the mishap, quickly brushing it off in time for his interview on It Takes Two. It's been widely predicted that this year could mark Giovanni's first-ever Strictly win, after placing runner-up on the reality series an impressive three times already. 

Emma Dooney
Lifestyle News Writer

Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, Emma mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.


Emma holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin.