Strictly Come Dancing 2022 #2

[MidCenturyMadOne]

Sometimes I wonder if all the over-the-top womanizing is a front for being a closet case. Most of his relationships seem like fake PR setups, and Jason Gilkison 'found him wandering around Soho' apparently! Datalounge claims he's gay. But of course, datalounge claims practically everyone's gay.

If so, I feel bad for him.

If he really has that bad taste in women though... I agree, ick! He moved a couple of slots down on my favourite pros list when he started dating (or 'dating') Maura.

Gleb also became less attractive to me with the debut of his latest plastic girlfriend. Can't understand how anyone finds that look attractive, or wants to do that to their faces.

I do sometimes wonder if Kaivanni is not just a bromance ( I’d actually find that very hot for some reason) , but nah! I think they are just hot blooded dancing boys
We need @StephenTJackson ’s gaydar opinion. I’m beginning to doubt mine .

 

[Guitarwarrior]

I’m not sure if Gio is gay and hiding it behind a load of PR showmance relationships. I think he just plays up the sleazy Italian stereotype. I sometimes get a similar ick with Graziano to the one I get with Giovanni despite him being engaged to his long term girlfriend.
Given that Johannes, Jason and Iain Waite are all (and others both connected to the show and in the dance world) out and proud I don’t see why Gi would feel the need to hide behind fake relationships.

 

[soccergirl]

Gio was defo linked with Emily Atack before. Of course they may just be - gasp - friends. According to DS she is the cousin of his tour make-up artist so that's possible.

OMG now 'lothario' is a slur, according to LadyL!

Please don't use negative language like 'lothario' on this thread - it's quite an ugly term and is always an insult. Sorry but it has to be said - can we keep the thread abuse-free.

 

[raghoney]

If If he really has that bad taste in women though... I agree, ick! He moved a couple of slots down on my favourite pros list when he started dating (or 'dating') Maura.

Gleb also became less attractive to me with the debut of his latest plastic girlfriend. Can't understand how anyone finds that look attractive, or wants to do that to their faces.

I don’t think he even made it to 3 months with Maura, did he? Distracted by the insta pics and didn’t realise what he’d gotten himself in to… I can’t imagine either of them could understand what the other was saying honestly

Have you seen his Us Weekly red carpet interview? It’s the worst thing I’ve ever witnessed.. the interviewer asks about his new relationship to which he drags his girlfriend over to awkwardly stand there while he talks about how she has the same name as his ex wife

 

[Bagpuss20]

The relationship with Maura did seem quite set up at times though

 

[glasgow27]

I doubt Gio is hiding anything but I can see why a gay pro might hide behind a straight facade - you never know what their family abroad might think of it and also some may fear it would be bad for their career on the show. Maybe they think it would limit their chances of getting young contenders?

Think of Robin Windsor, he never got a real chance on the show (his best partner statistically was Lisa Riley!) whereas Artem who joined the same year and did the same number of series had a win, runner-up and a semi-finalist. Johannes was arguably going the same way as Robin until John came along - had the show stuck with opposite gender pairings, would he have got someone good last year?

 

[raghoney]

I doubt Gio is hiding anything but I can see why a gay pro might hide behind a straight facade - you never know what their family abroad might think of it and also some may fear it would be bad for their career on the show. Maybe they think it would limit their chances of getting young contenders?

He spoke a lot in his Private Parts interview how he’d struggled with ballroom dancing being from Sicily, which is a very conservative part of Italy from what I gather, and that he’d wanted to do it to ‘be around the girls’ (shocker). Jamie asked why he didn’t go for ballet in that case, and he responded by saying ballet was ‘too far’. So I do think chances are he’s come from a conservative family/area and has struggled a bit with preconceptions, so maybe overdoes it with the lothario image. He makes a good point though, if he’s as woman obsessed as he makes out, why go and play football? Make yourself the only boy to 20 girls and you’ll be fending them off with a stick

 

[Danmax]

I don’t think he even made it to 3 months with Maura, did he? Distracted by the insta pics and didn’t realise what he’d gotten himself in to… I can’t imagine either of them could understand what the other was saying honestly

Have you seen his Us Weekly red carpet interview? It’s the worst thing I’ve ever witnessed.. the interviewer asks about his new relationship to which he drags his girlfriend over to awkwardly stand there while he talks about how she has the same name as his ex wife

sorry im lost who are you talking about, i didn't know giovanni used to be married.

 

[raghoney]

sorry im lost who are you talking about, i didn't know giovanni used to be married.

My bad, replied to two separate points and didn’t make it clear! First part about Gio and Maura, second about Gleb and his new girlfriend

 

[MidCenturyMadOne]

He spoke a lot in his Private Parts interview how he’d struggled with ballroom dancing being from Sicily, which is a very conservative part of Italy from what I gather, and that he’d wanted to do it to ‘be around the girls’ (shocker). Jamie asked why he didn’t go for ballet in that case, and he responded by saying ballet was ‘too far’. So I do think chances are he’s come from a conservative family/area and has struggled a bit with preconceptions, so maybe overdoes it with the lothario image. He makes a good point though, if he’s as woman obsessed as he makes out, why go and play football? Make yourself the only boy to 20 girls and you’ll be fending them off with a stick

That’s exactly what Kai said about choosing dance over football in a podcast interview!

 

[raghoney]

That’s exactly what Kai said about choosing dance over football in a podcast interview!

They’re like Barney and Ted those two! (HIMYM reference anyone?)

I can picture Gio with a playbook explaining all his ways to a wide eyed Kai. Imagine his pride when the AJ/Nadiya situation unfolded

 

[diamondthunder]

I’m not sure if Gio is gay and hiding it behind a load of PR showmance relationships. I think he just plays up the sleazy Italian stereotype. I sometimes get a similar ick with Graziano to the one I get with Giovanni despite him being engaged to his long term girlfriend.
Given that Johannes, Jason and Iain Waite are all (and others both connected to the show and in the dance world) out and proud I don’t see why Gi would feel the need to hide behind fake relationships.

Ian Whaite, Robin Windsor and Matthew Cutler weren't out while they were actually on the show though. Not sure if it's true, but someone on DS said that Robin awkwardly mentioned a girlfriend in an early interview, like producers were making him say it.

You'd like to think it wouldn't happen anymore, but I can definitely believe a strictly pro could be pressured to stay in the closet. No possibility of a showmance with a female partner puts them at a disadvantage. Plenty of people still have the outdated attitude that a gay actor playing straight is just laughable. My mother still hasn't gotten over Rock Hudson being gay! Every time she watches one of his movies, she carries on about how she wishes she didn't know, (yes, so rude of him to die of AIDS and inconvenience you ) and that it's ruined his movies because it's just not believable to see him act romantic with a woman.

Also, if he is closeted, it might not be for professional reasons. He seems to be quite religious (kissed his cruxifix, crossed himself and looked upwards just after he won) and being raised Catholic can do a hell of a lot of damage. Who knows what some of his older relatives might think?

 

[MidCenturyMadOne]

They’re like Barney and Ted those two! (HIMYM reference anyone?)

I can picture Gio with a playbook explaining all his ways to a wide eyed Kai. Imagine his pride when the AJ/Nadiya situation unfolded

They are like two peas in a pod those two.. I think Kai is only just entering his lothario era - waiting for the breakup just before the next series just in time for the next hot partner, with a few insta babes to juggle too!

 

[Elleyunsun]

The Instagram pictures with Maura were so cringe, the secondhand embarrassment was real.

I always got the vibe that the reason him and Rose got on well was because she found his whole act a bit ridiculous and ribbed him for it, and as she was taken and very different to women he goes for so they could just get on with no drama, but because they got on well some people decided there was more than friendship there. I don’t think he’s gay but definitely has terrible taste in trophy girlfriends

 

[diamondthunder]

I do sometimes wonder if Kaivanni is not just a bromance ( I’d actually find that very hot for some reason) , but nah! I think they are just hot blooded dancing boys
We need @StephenTJackson ’s gaydar opinion. I’m beginning to doubt mine .

lol, I'm not particularly thinking that Kai is involved in this hypothetical scenario (though I wouldn't be astonished if he was )

I don't claim to have an infallible gaydar, I think it's pretty bad really - for example, Aljaz pings it like crazy, but I can't imagine he and Janette have a fake marriage like it's the 1950's, that'd be ridiculous.

But one thing I know is - the Maura thing sent my bullshit-dar through the roof!

 

[Vanelope]

That’s exactly what Kai said about choosing dance over football in a podcast interview!

Straight ballet dancers - they exist - say this too.

The Instagram pictures with Maura were so cringe, the secondhand embarrassment was real.

I always got the vibe that the reason him and Rose got on well was because she found his whole act a bit ridiculous and ribbed him for it, and as she was taken and very different to women he goes for so they could just get on with no drama, but because they got on well some people decided there was more than friendship there. I don’t think he’s gay but definitely has terrible taste in trophy girlfriends

Whoever said he looked at Rose and saw a glitter ball with legs - it makes all his I love yous and best thing in my life declarations make a lot of sense.

Ian Whaite, Robin Windsor and Matthew Cutler weren't out while they were actually on the show though. Not sure if it's true, but someone on DS said that Robin awkwardly mentioned a girlfriend in an early interview, like producers were making him say it.

Matthew Cutler is gay now? Him and Nicole divorced while he was still on the show as I remember.

 

[glasgow27]

Matthew Cutler is gay now? Him and Nicole divorced while he was still on the show as I remember.

I think they were a marriage of convenience as dance partners.

 

[Ocupus5]

I don’t think Gio is gay, he just likes to shag around and is enjoying poking who he wants. I think him and Maura were just shagging and their PR team probably saw a way to cash in on that by acting like they were madly in love.

 

[BDY_97]

They are like two peas in a pod those two.. I think Kai is only just entering his lothario era - waiting for the breakup just before the next series just in time for the next hot partner, with a few insta babes to juggle too!

I don’t get those vibes from Kai at all. Regardless of whether this works out with Nadiya I don’t see him being the new Gio. He actually managed a 4/5 year relationship whereas Gio can’t keep a girl for longer than a few months

 

[diamondthunder]

He spoke a lot in his Private Parts interview how he’d struggled with ballroom dancing being from Sicily, which is a very conservative part of Italy from what I gather, and that he’d wanted to do it to ‘be around the girls’ (shocker). Jamie asked why he didn’t go for ballet in that case, and he responded by saying ballet was ‘too far’. So I do think chances are he’s come from a conservative family/area and has struggled a bit with preconceptions, so maybe overdoes it with the lothario image. He makes a good point though, if he’s as woman obsessed as he makes out, why go and play football? Make yourself the only boy to 20 girls and you’ll be fending them off with a stick

Yes, Graziano said the same thing, and Gorka as well, about being bullied as kids for being perceived as girly and gay for dancing. In that Strictly: The Professionals documentary thing that's on youtube, I thought all of them seemed a little too desperate to insist that chasing pussy was their reason for starting to dance (Aljaz, sweetie, you were 5. Sorry not buying it ) It's sad they feel they can't just say they love dancing.

They definitely could all be straight, and past issues with bullying making them oversell it a bit, but just as easily, that sort of background could keep someone in the closet.

And people can be closeted even if there seems no reason why they would be to anyone else. A guy I went to school with, (who just so happens to do ballroom competitively) was obviously, flamboyantly gay, but throughout high school he insisted he wasn't, even making up a girlfriend from another school. I naively believed him, because why would he lie to us, his friends, who would definitely be supportive? Well, he came out several years later. I can only assume some problem with his parents may have been the reason he didn't feel able to sooner.

edit: and I mean, look at Phillip Schofield, for christ's sake! As someone who'd only ever seen him in Dancing On Ice clips on youtube, imagine my astonishment when he came out and I discovered he had a wife and kids! I just assumed he was openly gay, because it was obvious.

Anywa, statistically speaking, I find it just a smidge hard to believe that of all the male Strictly pros there have been, that Ian, Matthew, Robin and Johannes are the only gay (or bi) ones. I took ballroom classes for a few years in my early teens, and of the 6 guys in the class, at least 3 of them were gay.