Rose Ayling-Ellis has posted a stunning selfie as 2021 draws to a close and she reflects on her accomplishments from the past year.
The Strictly Come Dancing champion, who lifted the Glitterball trophy earlier this month with her pro partner Giovanni Pernice, uploaded a quote and words of wisdom for her Instagram followers to see as she penned: "'Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What's important is the action. You don't have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.'
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"That's definitely what 2021 did for me, the year of growth, discovery and surprises. I cannot wait to see what 2022 would bring."
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Giovanni was one of the first to react to Rose's beautiful snap, commenting with a string of love heart emojis and sparking a seal of approval from fans who 'liked' his reply hundreds of times over.
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Many fans shared how proud they were of Rose, who made history as the first deaf contestant to win Strictly. "You deserve all your success, 2022 is gonna be huge for you!" one follower wrote. "You are incredible and have inspired me beyond belief. Happy New Year lovely x," another posted.
Rose posted this stunning selfie
Other fans commented on how perfect Giovanni and Rose are as a pairing, with some even going as far as to say they should marry. "You and Giovanni are a match made in heaven," "You and @pernicegiovann1 are just perfection together," and "They really are the perfect couple," were some of the replies.
"I can't wait for your engagement to Giovanni he's perfect for you I've told him so too xx," one hopeful fan responded. "Just marry Gio," another wrote.
She uploaded some of her favourite snaps from 2021
Rose's post featured a carousel of photos from 2021 and ended with a video of her and Giovanni celebrating their Strictly win by popping open some bubbly. She also shared a video from an England Euros 2020 game, photos with her friends and EastEnders castmate Danny Dyer, and a lovely snap of a butterfly too.
While some fans may have expressed their desire for Rose and Giovanni to get together, the soap star is happily dating her long-term boyfriend Sam. The couple celebrated seven years together in 2021.
Like Rose, Sam is also deaf, and the pair tend to keep their relationship out of the spotlight.
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