Giovanni Pernice and Rose Ayling-Ellis lit up the Strictly Come Dancing dancefloor last year with their sizzling dance routines, which had many fans swooning over their amazing partnership.
The duo – who have once again reunited for the nationwide live tour – made Strictly history when they lifted the glitterball trophy in December. And yet, they are continuing to entertain their followers with their behind-the-scenes antics.
Speculation was rife about Rose’s relationship with her boyfriend of seven years, Sam Arnold, with the pair splitting just months after her BBC win.
READ MORE: Rose Ayling-Ellis announces exciting career news following shock EastEnders exit
The actress, who has played Frankie Lewis on EastEnders since 2020, has always kept her romance with Sam low-key and out of the spotlight.
Rose and Giovanni’s friendship blossomed behind the scenes, which set tongues started wagging about if there was something more between the pair due to their onscreen chemistry. Let’s take a look at the pair’s relationship since their big win…
Gushing Tribute
Rose Ayling-Ellis wished her Strictly dance partner Giovanni Pernice a happy birthday in a gushing online tribute following her split from long-term boyfriend, Sam Arnold.
She shared a previously unseen clip of herself and her co-star as he celebrated his 32nd birthday.
“One of my favourite videos of us,” the 27-year-old penned next to the unearthed video which shows Giovanni sporting a black cape.
(Image: Instagram/ @rose.a.e)
He swipes it past the camera to reveal Rose wearing a sparkly top hat as the pair look into each other’s eyes before breaking into laughter.
The EastEnders actress paired the video with Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen as she wrote “Happy birthday @giovannipernice” on top of the clip – followed by a celebration emoji.
Giovanni also attended Rose’s 27th birthday dinner last year. In a photo shared by Giovanni, he, Rose and her then boyfriend Sam were beaming before tucking into an amazing spread of sweet treats.
“Still smiling and thinking about this little plate of dessert,” remarked Giovanni.
Italian Getaway
(Image: giovannipernice/Instagram)
Rose set tongues wagging when she jetted off to meet her former pro dance partner Giovanni’s family in Italy just days after splitting from her long-term boyfriend. It came after the duo’s close bond on the show sparked speculation they could be more than friends.
In a snap from the trip, Rose beamed beside Giovani and his sister Angela at her dance studio in Sicily, as well as being joined by Strictly’s Anton Du Beke.
(Image: rose.a.e/Instagram)
The pair wrapped their arms around each other and smiled. Giovanni was reportedly filming a new BBC1 travel show with Anton, 56, when Rose turned up to surprise the pair.
While in Sicily, Rose is reported to have met Giovann’s sister Angela, The Mirror reports. In another gushing gesture to Rose, who is deaf, Giovanni revealed he was learning British Sign Language as part of a Cadbury fingers campaign.
He wrote online: “If more of us learnt a little sign language, we could help more people feel included.”
Close Bond
(Image: INSTAGRAM)
The pair melted hearts after they shared a never-before-seen picture for a very special reason.
A candid black and white image of the pair appeared on the iconic Piccadilly Lights for Take A Moment’s campaign for mental health, showing the pair share a deep bond outside of the dancefloor.
Alongside a screenshot, Rose wrote: “One of the loveliest person I met @rayburmiston have exhibition in Piccadilly circus of beautiful portraits to raise awareness of just how important it is to take time for our mental health.”
(Image: rose.a.e/Instagram)
She also added: “Lets take a moment for #mentalhealthawareness. #takeamoment2022 @takeamoment.uk.”
Upon seeing this special tribute, professional dancer Giovanni added a string of heart emojis alongside one of a rose.
Fans were in awe, with one writing: “You two together are just… magic.”
Another said: “Such a beautiful photo of two beautiful souls.” A third post read: “You both did something special.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
