The professional dancer is back for series 22 of the BBC series
Jowita Przystal has been a proud member of the Strictly Come Dancing family since 2021. One to watch, the Polish star bagged the coveted Glitterball trophy in 2022, after teaming up with wildlife cameraman, Hamza Yassin.
This year, Jowita, 30, is making waves with her dance partner, TOWIE’s Pete Wicks, and they’ve also sparked romance rumours, which they’ve refrained from addressing.
© Ray BurmistonIn the past, Jowita is known to have dated The Greatest Dancer star Michael Danilczuk, and she’s also been linked to former Strictly pro, Giovanni Pernice. Here’s what you need to know…
Michael Danilczuk
Jowita dated Polish dancer and choreographer, Michael Danilczuk for several years. The duo first met at a summer dance camp in Krakow in 2013. Their website noted that they fell in love 10 months after they were introduced. “Things just started to change the more we hung out and got to know each other, I started to really like him. He would do funny little things like drive the wrong way home from rehearsals to spend more time together,” Jowita told the BBC.
© GettyAfter partnering up, Jowita and Michael were crowned the Polish Open Latin Champions in 2014. They also performed on US cruise ship tours for Priscilla, Rock Of Ages and Legally Blonde. By 2015, Jowita and Michael had called time on their competitive career. After moving to the UK in 2019, the former couple appeared on The Greatest Dancer and were crowned the winners in the 2020 series. When Jowita joined Strictly a year later, Michael posted a sweet tribute to his girlfriend.
Little is known about their split, however, reports that Jowita and Michael had broken up began swirling in December 2022. In the months that followed, fans became convinced that she was dating her Strictly co-star, Giovanni Pernice.
Giovanni Pernice
Co-stars Jowita and Giovanni were said to have developed a romance during Strictly’s 2022 series, with The Sun reporting they had even been spotted kissing backstage in December.
While the pair remained silent on the matter, they were later pictured leaving Giovanni’s London-based home separately in January 2023. By March of that year, it was reported that Jowita and Giovanni had called it quits, but have remained on good terms.
Giovanni, who was accused of gross misconduct by his former dance partner, Amanda Abbington last year, has since left Strictly. He currently appears on Dancing With The Stars in Italy.