giovanni pernice rose ayling ellis silent dance

Strictly's Giovanni Pernice reflects on 'special' partnership with Rose Ayling-Ellis after exciting news

The Strictly stars' win has gone down in history

Deputy Online Editor
March 23, 2022

Giovanni Pernice and Rose Ayling-Ellis are continuing to make headlines following their win on Strictly Come Dancing in December. The champions are among the six nominees for Virgin Media’s Must-See Moment Award at the upcoming Bafta TV ceremony for their iconic dance.

MORE: Rose Ayling-Ellis leaves Strictly cast member in tears over iconic Giovanni Pernice dance

The 27-year-old actress - who became the first deaf person to compete and win the show - performed a moving Couple's Choice to Zara Larsson's song Symphony, which left the audience and viewers at home in tears.

WATCH: Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice leave fans in tears with poignant dance

The duo paid respect and raised awareness for members of the deaf community when the music cut as they continued to dance in silence.

MORE: Giovanni Pernice's deep connection and protectiveness over Rose Ayling-Ellis explained

READ: Rose Ayling-Ellis holds 'deep affection' for Giovanni Pernice - expert discusses relationship

Speaking about the nomination, Giovanni said on BBC Breakfast: "The feeling in the room was just, you know, outstanding. It was more than just a dance. It was more than just 16 seconds of silence.

"For us, it was to show what Rose does every week. And I think, since we did that moment, people realised how difficult it is for Rose to dance. It was very special. Definitely very special."

Rose and Giovanni during their couples choice dance

He added: "It was my idea to put the hands over the ears. It was the idea to talk to Sarah James, our exec producer. We wanted to get the moment absolutely right. We didn't want to get it wrong, you know? So it has to be a moment, and there were a lot of thoughts that went into the making, for sure."

The star's presence on Strictly has gone a long way to highlight the deaf community and their needs. The nationwide tour even had a registered British Sign Language interpreter for every performance, making it the "biggest ever BSL accessible arena tour" in the UK.

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