Strictly Come Dancing’s Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice have paid tribute to the deaf community with a silent routine in the middle of their performance to Symphony by Clean Bandit ft Zara Larsson.
It was clear that the pair had moved the judges in the last performance of the night, and they acknowledged exactly how much in their comments.
Shirley Ballas said the number would be “etched in her heart for a long long time”, while an emotional Anton Du Beke commented that the performance was “the greatest thing he’s ever seen” in all his years on the show.
Craig, too, was clearly taken with the special performance, gifting the pair with his famous “Fab-u-lous!” catchphrase, and Motsi thanked Rose and Giovanni and told them sometimes the show was “more than marks and dancing” as movement is just as important.
The judges gave them a score of 39, earning the couple second place on Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard, behind Rhys Stephenson who broke the Strictly 2021 record with a perfect score for his and Nancy’s Charleston to The Charleston by Bob Wilson and his Varsity Rhythm Boys.
Rose has been making history as the first deaf contestant on Strictly, with partner Giovanni also learning sign language to help them communicate more effectively during Rose’s training. Just a few weeks ago, Rose and Giovanni earliest top score in Strictly’s history.
In Week Six, Rose and Gio performed a scintillating Tango to Shivers by Ed Sheeran, which earned them the series’ first ever 40.
Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturday on BBC One. The results show airs Sunday at 7:15pm. Want something else to watch? Check out our full TV Guide or visit our Entertainment hub for the latest news.