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Katie McGlynn joins Strictly amidst past Giovanni Pernice link

Things could be about to get a little awkward…

Ex Coronation Street cast member Katie McGlynn is among the celebrities waltzing their way into the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom this autumn.

Katie said she’s looking forward to “letting her hair down” and having fun on the dance floor.

However, she has previously been linked to professional dancer Giovanni Pernice, and eagle-eyed fans have spotted that she’s recently followed every pro except Giovanni on Instagram.

So what went on between them, and will things be awkward should they be paired together?

All you need to know and more below.

Strictly come dancing cast
Katie McGlynn has signed up to appear on Strictly Come Dancing (Credit: BBC)

Strictly Come Dancing cast: Did Corrie’s Katie McGlynn date Giovanni Pernice?

Katie was linked to Gio back in 2017, shortly after his split from her Corrie co-star Georgia May Foote.

At the time, Katie played down rumours of a romance, admitting: “They were trying to make it look like I was trying to have her boyfriend and I really wasn’t, even though they weren’t together any more, just because he’d dated another Corrie actress at some point.

Read more: Full line up of the Strictly professional dancers, including four hot new faces

“I was quite upset about it because I’d not done anything. It was blown up out of all proportion.”

However, eagle-eyed Strictly fans have apparently noticed that Katie has followed all the pro dancers on social media – except Giovanni.

Gio is now dating Love Island star Maura Higgins, so she’ll be hoping the Strictly curse doesn’t strike when the celebrities are paired with their pro partners.

Strictly come dancing cast
Katie keeps her private life pretty private so we don’t know if she has a significant other at the moment (Credit: Splash News)

Who is Katie dating now?

Katie keeps her private life just that – private.

Her last boyfriend was a salesman called Benjamin Roberts, who she started dating in 2017.

Read more: Has Anton du Beke retired as a professional dancer now he’s on the judging panel?

They traveled to Thailand together on holiday and split two years later in 2019.

A source had previously said things were “going well” between the pair.

Strictly come dancing cast
Katie is best known as Sinead from Coronation Street (Credit: ITV)

What’s Katie McGlynn been up to since Coronation Street?

Katie has recently started starring in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks as Diane Hutchison’s friend Becky Quentin.

A source has confirmed that Katie won’t be leaving the soap to focus on her Strictly stint.

Instead, her storyline will build to a Christmas climax as her stint in Strictly progresses.

Katie appeared in Coronation Street as Sinead Tinker from 2013 till 2020, when her character died of cervical cancer.

At the National Television Awards in 2020 she scooped the award for Best Serial Drama Performance.

Before joining the cast of the ITV soap she starred in Waterloo Road.

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Head to our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and tell us if you’ll be rooting for Katie on Strictly.


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor