Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice were once like ‘best friends’ after winning Strictly Come Dancing together in 2021, but their bond appears to have broken

Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice became close friends on Strictly (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice once shared such a close bond that fans speculated they might be more than friends on Strictly Come Dancing.

After clinching the Glitterball trophy in 2021, Giovanni, 34, declared that Rose, 29 – Strictly’s first deaf contestant – had transformed his life.

The triumphant duo went on to thoroughly enjoy their time on the nationwide tour, frequently sharing videos of their playful rehearsals, much to the delight of their followers.

In 2022, the pair reunited for a mental health awareness campaign, releasing a striking black and white photograph that highlighted their strong connection, reports the Mirror.

Rose even travelled to Giovanni’s homeland of Sicily, where she met his sister Angela during an episode of Gio’s BBC One travel show with Strictly judge Anton Du Beke.

However, recent reports suggest that their friendship has cooled, with claims that the EastEnders actress is distancing herself from the Sicilian dancer. Although nothing has been confirmed, let’s take a deep dive inside the possible fallout between the Strictly champs.

The actress became noticeably quiet during the controversial Strictly investigation (Image: WARNING: Use of this copyright image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures’ Digital Picture Service (BBC Pictures) as s)

Radio Silence

Rose has remained quiet about Giovanni amidst an investigation into his behaviour behind the scenes of the BBC show last year.

Actress Amanda Abbington accused the Italian dancer of being ‘abusive’ during last year’s rehearsals, a claim which Giovanni refutes.

In the wake of these shocking allegations, many expected Rose, like Giovanni’s former partner Debbie McGee, to come forward in his defence.

Through the investigation, the actress has remained tight-lipped about the unfolding drama, with an insider revealing to The Sun: “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.”

The pair stopped liking and commenting on each other’s online posts (Image: PA)

Online snub

In another telling sign, Giovanni Pernice seems to have cooled off his online interactions with Rose Ayling-Ellis. Although the pair still follow each other on Instagram, they have notably remained silent online.

Previously, he would eagerly like and celebrate her posts, especially those acknowledging her contributions to the deaf community. But in recent months, Giovanni has notably refrained from engaging with Rose’s recent posts.

When Rose shared her latest TV role in William Mager’s Reunion, the Italian did not like or comment despite the actress receiving a flurry of congratulations from other Strictly stars.

Similarly, Rose remained tight-lipped when Giovanni told fans he’d joined the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing after be was sacked by the BBC.

However, his former dance partner Hannah Waddingham passed on her best wishes ahead of his new career news.

Candid admission

Despite their celebrated partnership on Strictly, which included a powerful performance danced in silence, Rose Ayling-Ellis shared with the Guardian in January her initial disdain for the idea.

The TV favourite explained that she was concerned that the ground-breaking idea might come across as seeking a “pity” vote.

She told the outlet: “I hated it. I watched this prerecorded 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’.”

She pointed out: “It was what hearing people think deaf people experience. Very insular, cut-off, small. It was so sad. And that’s not me.”