Strictly 2023 fans were over the moon after they spotted a sweet tribute by pro dancer Giovanni Pernice to his former celeb partner Rose Ayling-Ellis this weekend.
Giovanni and Rose won the hearts of the nation back in 2021 when they appeared on the glitzy BBC One show. Not letting her deafness hold her back, Rose ended up winning the show with Giovanni and took home the iconic Glitterball trophy.
But now, two years on and eagle-eyed viewers have spotted Giovanni’s heartwarming tribute to his former dance partner.
Strictly 2023 fans spot Giovanni’s tribute to Rose
When Giovanni and Rose were on Strictly, the duo were seen using the British Sign Language symbol for thank you. They did this on the Sunday results show every time they were voted through to the next week by the public.
Fast forward to now, and Giovanni, who is partnered with Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington on the 2023 series, still makes the thank you gesture that he learned from Rose. On Sunday’s result show (October 1), Giovanni signed the gesture as his and Amanda’s name as called out to confirm they were safe.
‘It shows a marvellous character,’ says Strictly 2023 fan
As expected, fans went wild over Giovanni’s tribute on Strictly and headed over to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their thoughts. One viewer gushed: “Oh nice of Gio to remember his signing,” as someone else quipped: “Love that @pernicegiovann1 does the BSL thank yous.”
Echoing their thoughts, a third said: “Giovanni continuing to sign after being partnered with Rose always gets me.” Another fan penned: “I love how Gio still does the thank you in sign language.”
A fifth chimed in and wrote: “Gio still signing thank you shows a marvellous character and continued respect for the new fanbase he picked up through Rose. Pure.”
Giovanni and Amanda on Strictly 2023
On Saturday night (September 30) Giovanni and Amanda strutted their stuff on the dance floor to a jaw-dropping salsa routine. Their performance bagged them scores of eight from each judge. Their latest result, combined with last weeks scores, gave them an impressive total of 32 points.
It comes after reports claimed Giovanni and Amanda have not been gelling so well on the show. It was previously reported that Amanda had threatened to quit the show. This was due to her pro partner’s “aggressive behaviour” during training.
Amanda and Giovanni not getting on?
However, after reports emerged of tension between the pair, Amanda and Giovanni seemingly put on a united front on Instagram.
Taking to Instagram, Amanda uploaded a snap of herself smiling during rehearsals. She penned: “The smile you give your pro partner at the end of the camera rehearsal when you know you are in safe and hugely talented hands…@giovannipernice ya legend.”
Sharing Amanda’s story to his own, Giovanni also paid sweet tribute to his celebrity partner. “I usually don’t say those things early (as probably everybody know) but I’m extremely proud of you. And I can’t wait for people to watch what we have created,” he wrote. Amanda then shared Giovanni’s touching words on her story.
Read more: Strictly legend Len Goodman’s cause of death revealed following his passing aged 78
So what do you think of this story? You can leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.