Rose Ayling-Ellis lifted the Strictly Come Dancing Glitterball Trophy almost two year ago.

She made history alongside her dance partner Giovanni Pernice after performing a partially silent routine on the BBC competition to highlight her story.

The actress was born deaf but has not allowed her disability to stop her from achieving success, from making history on Strictly as the first deaf contestant to continuing to raise awareness for others like her.

While her Strictly stint and subsequent win may have been two years ago, her journey on the show is still widely recalled as one of the most memorable with fans.

Rose and Giovanni have remained close since winning the competition and earlier this month had a sweet reunion with each other.

The two enjoyed a sweet evening together at the Royal Opera House to enjoy a night of ballet.

They also had a meal together ahead of the show.

After watching, the two posed for photos with a ballet dancer and shared their experience on social media.

Sadly, Giovanni’s Strictly journey was cut short this year as his partner, actress Amanda Abbington, decided to leave the competition early.

Rose and Giovanni’s continuing close relationship has led some to speculate they might be dating.

However, while she was on Strictly Come Dancing, Rose was in a long-term relationship.

Rose was with ex, Sam Arnold for seven years before they decided to call it quits last year.

It was reported at the time they had reached the decision due to Rose’s busy schedule.

Speaking about their split last year Rose told The Telegraph: “I felt, from the start, like I had known him for a very, very long time…”

She added she doesn’t talk about her private life, explaining: “If I do that then I can’t switch off when I go home.”

As well as making Strictly history, Rose has also broken a few other records.

In May last year, she became the first-ever celebrity to sign a bedtime story in CBeebies’ iconic story time show.

In August 2022, she also unveiled the first ever deaf Barbie doll which came with behind-the-ear hearing aids.

As well as her memorable EastEnders stint as Frankie Lewis, Rose has gone on to be nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Tole at the 2023 Laurence Olivier Awards for her role in As You Like It.



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