Giovanni Pernice from Strictly Come Dancing surprises Wisbech resident Maureen Loring

A lucky Wisbech care home resident had a wish come true when she met Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice.

Ninety-year-old Maureen Loring, a resident at Lyncroft, was surprised with tickets to see the Italian dancer at the Cresset in Peterborough.

She was accompanied by the home’s wellbeing co-ordinator Sarah Perkins, who pulled the surprise for Maureen.

Sarah had noticed Maureen’s love of the hit BBC show and it was obvious who her favourite dancer was with pictures of Giovanni decorating her room

Luckily she had a spare ticket for Giovanni’s show at the Peterborough venue and Sarah was excited to offer it to Maureen

Mel Cushen, customer relations manager at Lyncroft,said: “The tickets to Meet and Greet Giovanni were given to Sarah by a friend but knowing of Maureen’s love for Giovanni, she kindly gifted them to Maureen who jumped at the opportunity to make her wish come true!”

In preparation for the show, Sarah wanted Maureen to feel her best, so the pair enjoyed a shopping trip for a new outfit. Sarah made sure to book Maureen a special appointment at Lyncroft’s on-site hair salon for a pamper before heading off to the show.

Sarah commented : “The Meet and Greet took place first, and Maureen was thrilled to have 10 minutes of Giovanni’s undivided attention. He was lovely, chatting with his arm around her the entire time. We took plenty of photos and were lucky to have Giovani record a special message for Lyncroft! After the meet and greet, we headed into the bar for pre-show drinks and chatted with the other guests.

“Maureen loved the whole show and thought Giovanni’s singing and dancing were outstanding, she was talking about it for days before the event and still hasn’t stopped. It was a night she will never forget.”