The duo wined and dined
star Giovanni Pernice treated Anton Du Beke to a London lunch date on Wednesday to celebrate his 56th birthday.
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Bringing the birthday cheer, the professional dancer took Anton to an Italian restaurant in Covent Garden called '21' where the duo tucked into a celebratory meal.
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Taking to his Instagram Stories, the Sicilian-born star filmed snippets of their joyous outing. At one point, Giovanni made a hilarious tongue-in-cheek comment, poking fun at Anton's age. He quipped: "Twenty-one again!!"
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Pointing at the restaurant's menu, Anton replied: "It must be right because this is what I'm looking at... Must be true."
Giovanni pulled out all the stops
Giovanni followed up his cheeky comment with a heartfelt "Happy Birthday!", to which Anton replied: "Thank you, my darling".
Their sweet reunion preludes their impending appearance on the brand-new series of which will be making a return to our screens this autumn. The duo will be joined by fellow judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas.
The dad-of-two is set to replace former judge, Bruno Tonioli.
View post on InstagramThe duo will be making a return to
Delighted by the news, Anton said: "Woohooo! This is BRILLIANT news. Everyone knows how much I absolutely love the show and I'm utterly delighted to be continuing as a regular judge."
He added: "And I get to make the final again – now I know how Giovanni feels!"
After 18 years on the show, Bruno, 66, made the difficult decision to leave Strictly so that he could prioritise his judging role on . Speaking on BBC One's , Bruno said: "I miss it so much."
View post on InstagramAnton shares four-year-old twins with his wife Hannah
He added: "Unfortunately has moved to Disney+, which is a big deal. Because of the travel situation, I will be there."
The Italian judge praised Anton by saying: "I think he has done a fantastic job. He deserves to be on that seat. It's a 10 from me. Carry on. Do me proud."
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