Debbie McGee has a "deep friendship" with Giovanni Pernice.
The 59-year-old television assistant and the professional dancer, 27, have set tongues wagging for weeks over their on-screen chemistry on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ but she’s adamant they’re not having a "love affair" and just have a very close platonic relationship.
Speaking to the i newspaper, she said: "We really have a close relationship. It’s a special friendship … it’s not a love affair, it’s an incredible, deep, friendship."
But, although she would love to find love again following the death of her husband Paul Daniels last year, Debbie doesn’t have time to get out there and meet new people.
She explained: "This programme takes over your life. I don’t see anybody, I haven’t been going out because it’s so exhausting. Nobody knows who they are attracted to or who is going to ask you out, so I have no idea!"
Debbie has thrown herself head first into the ballroom and latin competition over the past two months, which has seen her score the first 40 of the series with her tango, and she believes that’s because she can feel her late husband’s presence in the room.
She said: "I had a really emotional previous two weeks to this, because there was a big tribute to Paul on Channel 5 and I had to do a lot of interviews recalling Paul, and so it got to me … I know how much he would just love it. But because he also did the show [in 2010, when he was paired with Ola Jordan] and lots of people on the show got to know him, his presence is kind of around and I think emotionally it’s got to me more than I thought it would, is how I could describe it."
Debbie McGee has a ‘deep friendship’ with Giovanni Pernice
