A STRICTLY Come Dancing showman will return for a UK wide tour after it was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Professional dancer and fan favourite on the show, Giovanni Pernice, will be stopping at Darlington Hippodrome next year as part of his 2021 show THIS IS ME.

The Italian performer has been a dancer on the BBC TV show since 2015 and has reached the final three times, with Georgia May Foote, Debbie McGee, and Faye Tozer respectively.

The professional dancer has said THIS IS ME is his "biggest and best ever tour to date" and said he was devastated to have had to cancel this years tour.

"I just want to try and do something different, something that you haven’t seen before. I want to challenge myself and show off my hidden talents," Mr Pernice said.

This will be his fifth year of talking, along with his cast of fellow professional dancers.

Mr Penrice said he wanted the show to reflect beautiful choreography, perfectly complemented by the soundtrack. The show pays homage to the music and dances that have inspired Mr Pernice's career, from a competition dancer to one of the biggest names on Strictly.