Strictly champs Rose and Giovanni were once so close they sparked dating rumours (Image: BBC)

Strictly Come Dancing winners Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice were once so close they sparked dating rumours, so what changed?

Strictly Come Dancing winners Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice once had such a close bond – and fans even speculated they were an item.

Who can forget the iconic moment the pair lifted the glitterball trophy back in 2021, making former EastEnders star Rose the first deaf contestant to ever appear on the BBC show, let alone win it. Their silent dance as a tribute to the deaf community was later named TV Moment of the Year.

The dance partners went on to delight fans on the Strictly tour and often posted pictures and videos of each other on their social media pages. They reunited in 2022 to raise awareness for those suffering from mental health, releasing a beautiful black and white photo for a thought-provoking campaign.

Rose, 30, even visited 34-year-old Giovanni in his native Sicily, where she was introduced to the star’s sister Angela on Gio’s BBC One travel show, which he hosts alongside Strictly judge Anton Du Beke.

But Rose hasn’t showed any trace of Giovanni on her Instagram since May 2022, when she and Gio got glammed up to attend the Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards.

This has prompted fans to speculate that the once ‘best friends’ strong bond is broken. As Giovanni gets set to return to TV this weekend for the Strictly Come Dancing 20th anniversary special, here we look at what went wrong…

Gio and Rose make history as they lift the Strictly glitterball in 2021 ( Image: BBC/Guy Levy)

Rose’s silence on Gio ‘bullying’ claims

Gio was dropped from Strictly while a BBC investigation into his alleged behaviour was carried out following claims brought by his former dance partner Amanda Abbington.

Amanda accused the Italian dancer of being ‘abusive’ and ‘bullying’ her during last year’s rehearsals and said it left her with PTSD. Gio always denied the claims and after a nine-month investigation, the broadcaster found that Giovanni was not physically aggressive to his celebrity partner. However, some more minor complaints of verbal bullying and harassment were acknowledged.

Many people expected Rose – who reportedly had a good experience with the pro dancer – to speak out in support of Gio, but instead she chose to stay silent.

An insider told The Sun at the time: “Rose is finding the whole situation really tough. She had a really great experience with Gio so is really shocked by it all. She of course believes what others are saying but she is just trying to not get involved. She won’t be speaking about it publicly.”

Their ‘silent dance’ tribute to the deaf community won them a BAFTA ( Image: BBC/Guy Levy)

The last photo of Rose and Giovanni taken in May 2022 ( Image: Getty Images)

Online snubs as Gio stops liking Rose’s posts

In another telling sign the pair are not as friendly as they used to be, Gio appears to have stopped liking Rose’s posts. Though they still follow each other on social media, public support for one another is not as it once was.

This suggests the pair perhaps are not even in contact anymore. In previous years, Gio would have been the first to congratulate Rose for her achievements, notably for her services to the deaf community.

But he has failed to like her most recent posts when she’s shared good news, including her new children’s book about ‘deaf people who have made a real difference in our world’ which Rose describe as a ‘lifelong dream.’

Fan backlash

Fans have also picked up on the apparent ‘vibe’ between them. Commenting on the last photo Rose shared of them together.

One wrote: “Please please please support Giovanni, he was so good with you Rose deep down you know he’s done nothing wrong.” Another urged: “Please look after him Rose like he did with you.”

Rose says she ‘hated’ this about Strictly

Though they had a celebrated partnership on Strictly, Rose later admitted there was part of her journey on the show that she hated.

Rose told The Guardian she was against their ‘silent dance’, which went on to win them a BAFTA, at first because she thought it might come across as them seeking a ‘pity vote’ with viewers at home.

She said: “I hated it. I watched this pre-recorded video by external choreographers and immediately didn’t like what they’d come up with. I was up for the idea, as long as it wasn’t a patronising stunt.”

Expressing her frustration at the possibility of a sympathy vote, Rose added: “An attempt to get the pity vote, all sad, dreary and ‘poor me’. It was what hearing people think deaf people experience. Very insular, cut-off, small. It was so sad. And that’s not me.”