Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice are making news on the other side of the globe with their stunning Strictly Come Dancing routines.
The pair have appeared on US TV after wowing UK audiences with their Couple’s Choice dance, which featured a silent segment dedicated to the deaf community.
EastEnders actor Rose, who is Strictly’s first deaf contestant, has appeared alongside Giovanni on CBS Mornings where they were interviewed about the impact on the show.
Speaking to HuffPost UK about it, Giovanni said: “We did an interview with America about the dance. We did an interview with CBS, and I think it was big there. I think it had a bigger impact than we thought there was going to be.”
“It was absolutely mad,” Rose said of appearing on the show, which is co-hosted by US broadcasting legend Gayle King.
Giovanni then joked: “I knew I was amazing, but not that amazing!”
Should the couple make it through to next week’s grand final, they could be set to reprise the routine, which was set to Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson’s Symphony.
The dance has already clocked up 1.5 million views on YouTube and was featured on an episode of Gogglebox, where the show’s participants had an emotional reaction.
Asked how they could possibly better it, Giovanni said: “If we do it, we can’t change it, that’s the thing, it has to be the same.
“I think because it was such a powerful and beautiful moment, I wouldn’t change anything about it, there’s no point. It’s like if Ed Sheeran was doing a concert and changed the lyrics to Shape Of You – there’s no point, the song is like that.”
Rose added: “I think I would relax into it more because everyone knows what is going to happen. The first time you do it, it’s a big moment and I felt the pressure to not mess it up.”
In a year that has featured Strictly’s first deaf contestant and the show’s first all-male partnership following the first all-female pairing in 2020, Giovanni revealed he hopes the show will include a blind contestant in future.
“I would love to have a blind person because they did it in Italy and it was quite interesting. Strictly is a massive platform and what Rose is doing this year for the community and kids like this is just outstanding.
“Anything that can help the world, please bring it on Strictly, because that’s what we need. It’s a privilege to be part of it.”
Read the full interview with Rose and Giovanni on HuffPost UK this Sunday.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturday and Sunday night on BBC One.
