Rose Ayling-Ellis has candidly shared her feelings about her BBC Strictly Come Dancing stint with Giovanni Pernice.
She revealed a surprising “hate” confession as the BBC EastEnders actress opened up about her time on the 2021 series of Strictly, which saw her clinch the Glitterball Trophy.
At 29, Rose grabbed the nation’s attention when she and Gio performed a dance in complete silence, a powerful moment that resonated with many. However, Rose admitted she initially loathed the concept, fearing it would be seen as a grab for the “pity” vote, and even urged show bosses to ditch the idea.
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“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,” she disclosed to the Guardian.
(Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
She elaborated on her concerns: “An attempt to get the pity vote, all sad, dreary and ‘poor me’,” Rose continued. She expressed her dismay at the portrayal, saying: “It was what hearing people think deaf people experience. Very insular, cut-off, small. It was so sad. And that’s not me.”
Rose insisted on certain conditions if she were to participate: “I told them, if you want me, I’ll need you to agree to certain things.”, reports Birmingham Live.
To her surprise, the show’s response exceeded her expectations: “They went further than I’d asked,” she remarked, which led to her agreement to join. Recalling her first day, she noted a touching welcome: “So I said yes. On my first day, everyone finger spelt their name to me. It was a special gesture.”
Claudia Winkleman also weighed in, telling the paper: “I need to make such a bold statement because I know her well enough to know she never would.”
(Image: BBC/Guy Levy)
“And to be clear, Rose isn’t astonishing because she won a dance contest while not hearing the music. She’s utterly brilliant because she’s genuinely hilarious, because she’s ridiculously humble, and because she’s bonkers talented.”
Rose shared: “I’ve had so many opportunities because of all this.” Continuing, she said: “And I’m in this position where people are listening to me. It comes with a sense of responsibility: I don’t want to make a mistake, or let the deaf community down. It feels a lot is on my shoulders.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
