Phil started by asking Gio about the semi finals this week – he has danced against all the finalists, what does he think of them?
Well, I think they are all brilliant and all amazing dancers – you don't know who is going to win because they are all amazing. It is a tough competition this year!
You were in the final last year, so you know all about it. They must be feeling it physically at this stage.
Yes 100%. You need to focus until the end, until the final, and try each week to focus 100%
Last year with Georgia, when you reached the semi-final, you had to prepare two dances – that must be tough.
Yes, especially for the celebrities. For us also (the professional dancers) it is tough because you have to choreograph two dances. For the celebrities, two dances is even more difficult because you have to remember the steps, together with the music and switch character. For us (Georgia and Gio) last year, we did the Cha Cha Cha and the VW, so Ballroom and Latin, so we had to switch character which is definitely not easy. But all of them (the semi-finalists) are really good dancers so I think they will be fine.
So this series with Laura, where was Laura in that first training session, did you ask yourself 'How is this going to work?' or could she pick up steps quite quickly?
In the beginning you don't have any idea how the celebrities are going to be or about their personality. You just try to understand by eye, if I can be partnered with Laura or not, that is the beginning of the show. But when I got Laura I was really pleased, because she could dance and she had rhythm, so I was really, really lucky. I mean, all of them this year, since week 1, were brilliant. Even Melvin, who left the show in Week 2, and Tameka. Everybody, there were a lot of good dancers.
I remember speaking to Anton. He really likes teaching someone from scratch how to ballroom dance. Do you find that teaching easy?
Well, the thing is, I really prefer to teach someone who has never danced before because you can show people the journey, that is why we are there, professional dancers teaching people who never danced before, and if on a Saturday night you enjoy the performance from my celebrities, it's good for me because I did my job well, I did my job right, that is what the show is about – teaching people how to dance. So when someone becomes a good dancer, like Georgia last year or Laura this year, it's just because, all of us professional dancers, we put ourselves in it 100% and when they are good dancers, it's good for us because it means that we are good teachers.
So with great thanks to lady lavender I have just stolen this little piece of gios interview from the Giovanni thread 
And cracking lift!! 
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