Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice formed an unbreakable bond during their time on Strictly Come Dancing last year. Their friendship proved to be a successful one, with the former EastEnders star becoming the first deaf contestant to appear on the BBC show.
Almost 12 months on from their remarkable victory, the 28-year-old actress spoke of their special connection and what they learnt from each other. "I started off finding dancing very confusing," she told The Telegraph.
WATCH: Giovanni Pernice has paid the sweetest tribute to Rose Ayling-Ellis
"It was a strange new skill. But Giovanni was so good. He listened and learnt a lot from me. We learnt very quickly that, if we were together, I could follow him."
On learning how to dance with one another, she added: "If he left me alone, it was much harder for me to be on time. He had to arrange the choreography so that I could see him all the time. That took time.
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"If you look at week one, you can see he wasn’t always in my line of sight, but by the end, he always was. It was a wonderful experience. It gave me courage."
The past year has been quite the journey for Rose, who made history by becoming the first deaf contestant to appear on - and win - Strictly. The pair won many awards and high praise following their stint.
© Photo: BBCHowever, she also recently split up with her boyfriend of seven years, Sam Arnold. They reportedly parted ways due to Rose's busy schedule. Speaking about their split, Rose said: "I felt, from the start, like I had known him for a very, very long time… if that’s part of what 'love at first sight' can mean?"
Probed further, the actress shut down any attempt to discuss her private life because "If I do that then I can't switch off when I go home.
"I'd rather talk about my career, because I am really proud of it. I’m proud of the hard work and I’m so glad I am deaf, because it gives me a purpose. I want to build the ladder and climb up it and leave it behind me for others to follow."
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