Rose Ayling-Ellis has detailed her bond with Giovanni Pernice following their star turn on the Strictly dancefloor.
In the same interview, Rose also broke her silence following her split from her long-term boyfriend Samuel Arnold.
The actress became a big-name star when she took home the Strictly crown during the 2021 series of the BBC competition.
However, while the highs were high, the lows were also heartbreakingly low.
Rose Ayling-Ellis on her recent split
Rose found the pressure and attention the show came with “challenging”.
Shortly after finishing up on the show, she broke up with her long-term boyfriend.
In a new interview, Rose confessed that it was “love at first sight” when she first saw Sam.
“I felt, from the start, like I had known him for a very, very long time… if that’s part of what love at first sight, can mean?” she told the Telegraph.
However, Rose said she doesn’t want to keep discussing her personal life in public.
She said that whenever she does, she feels as though it’s impossible for her to “switch off” when she gets home.
“I’d rather talk about my career because I am really proud of it. I’m proud of the hard work and I’m so glad I am deaf because it gives me a purpose. I want to build the ladder and climb up it and leave it behind me for others to follow.”
Rose Ayling-Ellis on her bond with Giovanni
She went on to share how incredible she found it working with Giovanni Pernice on the series.
Their close bond proved popular with viewers, and at the time, many wished the pair would get together romantically.
“Giovanni was so good. He listened and learned a lot from me. We learned very quickly that, if we were together, I could follow him. If he left me alone, it was much harder for me to be on time. He had to arrange the choreography so that I could see him all the time,” she said.
Rose also said that dancing with Giovanni was a “wonderful experience”.
She also credited her dance partner with giving her “courage”.
Rose looks back on her ‘hard’ year
Meanwhile, Rose recently turned 28 years old. She marked the occasion on Instagram and shared a rare insight into her personal life in a message to her fans.
In the post, she labelled 2022 as one of the “hardest” years of her life.
She said: “First day being 28 was on the Last Leg last night. Mad how my 27th has been the craziest, most exciting, interesting, hardest year of my life. Forever grateful for all the love I’ve received. Thank you.”
Read more: Giovanni Pernice pays tribute to ‘beautiful’ Rose Ayling-Ellis for special reason
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