Strictly Come Dancing’s Giovanni Pernice comforted his former co-star Rose Ayling-Ellis as she shared a heart-wrenching post on Instagram.
The former EastEnders star, who was partnered with the Italian stallion on the BBC dance competition, admitted she feels “terrified and heartbroken” over new medical developments. Her post was in response to news that a British toddler had her hearing restored after becoming the first person in a pioneering gene therapy trial aimed at ‘treating’ deafness.
The actress, who has been deaf since birth, expressed her feelings about this development by sharing an adorable childhood photo of herself alongside a lengthy caption, reports OK! She wrote: “Here is a photo of me as a toddler.
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“If I had been born a couple of years later, my life could have been very different. Today, it was reported that a gene therapy trial has taken place. I knew that it was going to happen, but I didn’t expect it so soon.
(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
“My first reaction was feeling terrified and heartbroken. It feel like the end. Let me explain why. Imagine a world where everyone is ‘normal’. What will become of our story, our culture, language, and identity? Will we be the last deaf generation and end up in a museum somewhere?
“Deaf people have existed throughout human history. Who decides that their lives are not worth being integrated into society? Who assumes that we want to be ‘fixed’? Where will they draw the line?”
She went on: “Will all the hard work that deaf people fought for inclusivity be thrown out of the window? Why would society meet us halfway now they are the ‘cure’?
(Image: BBC)
“A cure is defined as ‘relieving a person of the symptoms of a disease or condition’. My deafness is not a disease or a condition. I don’t need relief from it. My deafness has given me many opportunities, and my life is richer because of it. Why would I want that to be gone?
“There are many deaf people out there that are doing great things! Why should we tell them that they are broken when, in fact, they are winning? To add insult to injury, this was released during Deaf Awareness Week.
“The week should be about embracing and spreading awareness about our culture. Not something to overcome. Can you help me out here? Let’s spread positivity. Leave a comment about your favourite thing about being deaf or being with deaf people?”
(Image: Instagram/Rose Ayling-Ellis/rose.a.e)
Rose then added a qualifier about the family who chose to restore their baby’s hearing. She said: “Please respect the decision made by the family for their little girl. Like any parent, they are doing what they believe is best for their child.
“This is not a rant directed towards them in any way. Rather, it is a rant directed towards the society that makes us all believe that being deaf will only bring us suffering, when in reality, it is quite the opposite.”
The Italian dancer, 33, swiftly replied to the 29-year-old’s post with three love hearts and liked the post. Rose and Giovanni are one of the most enduring couples in Strictly Come Dancing history thanks to the silent dance they did on the show in 2021.
(Image: BBC)
But some of her fans didn’t agree with Rose’s words, with some telling her they would not choose their children to be deaf. One user penned: “I have two deaf children. This news has brought me joy. You would never choose for your children to be deaf. It’s an amazing advancement in science.”
Another agreed: “It’s not easy being debilitated or perhaps even in a minority group. Now I couldn’t think of a more useless argument to prevent hearing loss than this one.
“I can see why it would leave the public in economic struggles to afford this treatment, however. And, the resistance of gene therapy is a losing argument, inevitably.” A third echoed: “I really like you, but I think this is an awfully self-serving post.”
(Image: rose.a.e/Instagram)
But some fans backed her opinions, with one user arguing: “Because of the deaf community, my son was able to find his voice when he lost it to progressive mutism. BSL [British Sign Language] is such a rich language that enables him to truly express himself in a way no AAC [augmentative and alternative communication] can.
“That is only because the deaf community exists and their language exists. Such a rich culture that in a small way let my son have a way to express himself, although not deaf without it we’d have lost even more.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
