Crowd at Perfumery & Co in Ringwood give warm welcome to Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice as he launches fragrance Vita

Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice attracted a crowd of over 100 people when he made an appearance at a Ringwood store to launch his own fragrance.

The 33-year-old dancer was at Perfumery & Co on Friday which was swamped by fans. Co-owner David McConnachie said: “People came from Wimborne and Southampton to see him. Fans were queuing round the Furlong square.

“Giovanni was absolutely lovely. He had one-on-one meetings with everyone and was so charming. He was as energetic from the first customer to the last. He stayed for over an hour-and-a-half and had a good chat with all my staff afterwards.

“There were some superfans of his here who were just so delighted to see him. His fans range from children to pensioners, and he was pleased to sign any photos. Even the mayor of Ringwood came down to see him.

“This was his first public appearance for his perfume Vita, and we were so pleased he chose our store to make it.”

David said Giovanni told him that it had been his dream to have his own fragrance and that he had been involved in its creation ‘at every step’.”

He said: “It really is a beautiful perfume. It is unisex and very fresh. It is has bergamot, clary sage and geranium as a base. Giovanni is really passionate about it. He was delighted by the response.

“Women were coming and buying it for their partners, which he loved. Giovanni said he thought our store was beautiful and was really pleased it is an independent one.

“We could not have hoped for a better day, and I think Ringwood benefitted as so many people came to see him and stayed on to do some shopping.”

Giovanni is currently being investigated by BBC bosses after several celebrity former Strictly dancing partners of his made allegations against him. He recently quit the show but has denied any wrongdoing.

David said many of the dancer’s fans told him on Friday “We feel so sorry for you”. He added: “He had unwavering support from them.

“He was talking to me and my partner about Strictly and said he is very confident it will all be sorted out soon. He said all the training sessions had been recorded and he was sure that once they have all been reviewed it will all be resolved.”

Giovanni is currently on tour with Strictly judge Anton de Beke and the two were at the Lighthouse theatre in Poole over the weekend.