STRICTLY star Giovanni Pernice and new squeeze Maura Higgins are planning their first holiday as their romance hots up.
The Italian dancer is set to whisk his new Love Island girlfriend away once he finishes a theatre tour.
Giovanni and Anton Du Beke are currently drawing in crowds with their Him and Me show, across the country.
A source said: “Since they started dating Maura and Gio haven’t been able to spend much time together.
“They’ve had to make the best of the short space of time they are able to see another. That’s why as soon as Gio finishes his tour he wants to go somewhere hot for two weeks and lie on a beach with Maura. Then it will be back for Strictly.”
Earlier today, the reality star shared a video of herself messing around with Giovanni, telling her followers how much she missed him.
The Sun on Sunday exclusively pictured the pair together enjoying a night out in Blackpool recently.
Our snaps confirmed the pair are very much ON after weeks of speculation.
Sun Online later told how Giovanni had been eyeing up Maura for a long time.
A pal told us: “They’ve met each other at events in the past and Giovanni has always fancied Maura.
“But it wasn’t until she became single that he made his move. Once they started texting, and then eventually meeting up, things quickly went from there.
“Maura has spent a couple of days with Gio and been staying with him while he’s on tour.
“But she’s now had to go away with work herself so they face spending a week or two apart which neither of them are looking forward to as they’ve become close really quickly. Maura hopes to be reunited with him during the last few dates on his tour.”
Maura and Giovanni first sparked rumours they were an item after sharing very similar photos from inside Wembley Stadium last month.
They posted Instagram snaps with the same view while watching Italy vs Austria in the Euros on June 26.
She is said to be taking her romance with the Strictly Come Dancing star – who has previously dated Ashley Roberts and Georgia May Foote – “slowly” because she’s “worried he could be a player”.
But our source who spotted them last week added: “Maura shouldn’t worry too much – he looked totally head over heels with her and who can blame him. She’s stunning.”
