Rose Ayling-Ellis has sent fellow Strictly Come Dancing winner Giovanni Pernice a sweet message on Instagram on New Year's Eve.
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The professional dancer shared a photograph of the moment he and Rose lifted the Glitterball trophy, writing: "This 2021 wasn’t that bad overall !! Happy new year everybody… let’s smash 2022." To that, Rose replied: " Happy new year!! [two love heart emojis]."
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Rose's comment alone received over 300 likes, with fans clearly pleased that they are still in touch after forging such a lovely friendship during the course of the show.
Giovanni Pernice shared a new year post
The actress also uploaded her own message as she marked the end of 2021 and looked forward to the new year.
READ: Rose Ayling-Ellis reveals reason for 'feeling sad' after Strictly win with Giovanni Pernice
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Rose 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.'
The pair formed a bond during Strictly
"That's definitely what 2021 did for me, the year of growth, discovery and surprises. I cannot wait to see what 2022 would bring."
Giovanni was one of the first to react to Rose's beautiful snap, commenting with a string of love heart emojis.
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.
© Photo: BBCRose's win went down in history
Like Rose, Sam is also deaf, and the pair tend to keep their relationship out of the spotlight.
The EastEnders actress, 27, made Strictly history after she became the first deaf contestant to perform on the show before going on to win.
Her presence on the show has gone a long way to highlight the deaf community and their needs. In response, dance partner Giovanni paid the sweetest homage to Rose by making at least three of his theatre shows more accessible to the deaf community with an interpreter.
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