Rose Ayling-Ellis has made it all the way to the Strictly Come Dancing final tonight and will be going up against John Whaite in the last leg of the battle to be crowned Strictly Come Dancing champion 2021.
The EastEnders star has been a frontrunner since the start of the series, dazzling both the judges and viewers at home with her spectacular technique and powerful performances.
Paired with Strictly pro Giovanni Pernice, Rose Ayling-Ellis has proved a force to be reckoned with and has earned widespread praise for breaking down barriers and stereotypes for deaf people.
Her EastEnders co-star Emma Barton, who was a Strictly finalist with her partner Anton Du Beke back in 2019, tells RadioTimes.com she’d love to see the actress lift the Glitterball trophy tonight.
Emma says she’s “absolutely obsessed with this year of Strictly”, going on to say: “I can’t even believe where they are – the standard is so high.
“And I would love to see my colleague, my darling Rose go all the way,” she added.
Tonight, Emma is taking part in The Weakest Link Strictly special alongside the likes of It Takes Two host Janette Manrara, 2016 winner Ore Oduba and her former partner Anton.
“I’m absolutely petrified – I’m not the best with general knowledge and I panic under pressure, so this will be interesting,” the star, who is playing for the charity Together for Short Lives, says.
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“I loved watching the original series, I’m really looking forward to this series. I think Romesh [Ranganathan] is going to be absolutely outstanding,”
Asked who she thinks her biggest competition will be, Emma replied: “Well, it’s going to be tricky playing against Anton – he knows everything, so he’s going to be a hard one to beat!”
Additional reporting by Lauren Morris.
The Weakest Link starts tonight on BBC One at 6:10pm. The Strictly Come Dancing final airs tonight at 7pm on BBC One. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide. Visit our Entertainment hub for all the latest news.
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