Gravesham’s mayor had a morning to remember today when she danced the waltz with one of the stars of Strictly Come Dancing as he visited Gravesend to promote his new show.

Giovanni Pernice literally swept Cllr Greta Goatley off her feet as he lifted her into the air in The Woodville’s glitzy studio before the pair twirled around the dance floor together.

But the 26-year-old Italian, who has appeared as a professional dancer in the last two series of the BBC show, didn’t need to teach Cllr Goatley too many moves.

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The 77-year-old Conservative councillor, who admitted to being a huge Strictly fan, confessed she had been dancing her whole life and proved she was more than capable of keeping up with a man a third of her age.

Giovanni’s show Il Ballo E Vita – Dance is Life – is a love story featuring acting, singing and, of course, dancing, a very different set up to Strictly where he performs one dance per week with a celebrity partner in front of a judging panel.

The performer, who has been dancing since his teens, said: “Il Ballo E Vita tells the story of a Sicilian guy in a bar who sees this beautiful girl and falls in love with her.

“It’s different from Strictly. Strictly is about the celebrities and the other couples but this is my show. I’m a little bit scared, a bit petrified. It’s a different feeling. In Strictly you want to be good for your celebrity but this show is more responsibility. But I love both.”

The first time Giovanni appeared on Strictly he was partnered with former Coronation Street actress and model Georgia May Foote.

They reached the finals of the competition and became romantically involved but decided to go their separate ways last summer.

His partner in the last series was television presenter Laura Whitmore and they finished in ninth place.

The dancer hopes he will be invited back for the fifteenth series in the autumn but won’t find out for a while.

He said: “I won’t know until May or June but fingers crossed. I would like to do it again.”

Giovanni’s signature dance has become the jive, which he performed to Meghan Trainor’s song Dear Future Husband with Georgia and to Reet Petite by Jackie Wilson with Laura.

He said: “It’s my favourite dance and it’s become my most famous. I love it because it’s the fast one and the cheeky one. Because it’s my favourite it’s nice and easy to teach. I always get them to feel the same way as I do about the dance. If I love it they will love it. It’s not difficult to teach.”

Born in Sicily in 1990, he relocated to Bologna at the age of 14 to concentrate on his dancing and, after winning a string of competitions including the Italian 2012 Championships, he moved to London two years ago to appear on Strictly.

He continued: “When I moved here two years ago I couldn’t speak English, only ‘hello’, ‘what’s your name’, and ‘where’s the toilet’.

“I don’t go to Sicily often, I have no time because, thank God, I’m so busy. I miss my mum, dad and sister but I feel really settled here. I went home at Christmas and after five days I was missing London.”

After dancing with his temporary partner Cllr Goatley, Giovanni praised her moves and refused to believe she was in her seventies, adding: “I would like you to be my partner in the next series.”

Following her performance, grandmother Cllr Goatley said: “I found it easy. He’s so calm and relaxed and he makes you relaxed.

"You can see why the celebrity dancers learn so well from him. I’ve done dancing all my life and I watch Strictly every week. The Argentine tango is my favourite dance, it’s stupendous.

"I will definitely come and watch Giovanni’s show in July and I’m sure I’ll bring a lot of people – my daughter, my mayoress Victoria Bance, is a big fan.”

After Cllr Goatley was elected as mayor last year she pledged to be the borough's "Martini girl", telling Gravesham organisations she would attend their functions and events "any time, any place, any where" in an echo of the 1970s television commercial for vermouth.

She moved to Gravesend from South Yorkshire in 1969 and after spending a few years living in Lanzarote she returned to her adopted home town.

Giovanni Pernice - Il Ballo E Vita is at The Woodville, Gravesend, at 7.30pm on Wednesday, July 5. Call 08442 439 480 or visit the website.