Strictly Come Dancing fans may be predicting that Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice are set to waltz all the way to the final – but one expert has been appalled by their ‘horrendous’ performances so far.
The 26-year-old EastEnders star and her 31-year-old professional dance partner have thrilled Strictly fans with routines that many viewers have praised as “elegant” and inspiring.
The couple have made Strictly history by being the first pairing to feature a deaf contestant – with Rose and Giovanni incorporating sign language into their routines for emotionally charged performances.
However professional dancer Gary Edwards has claimed that the pair have been making terrible errors with their footwork – mistakes that, he feels, could ultimately cost them the Strictly crown.
Speaking to the Express, Gary – who is a presenter on America’s Dancing With The Stars All Access – suggested that the gushing feedback that Rose and Giovanni are receiving from Strictly judges Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse is misplaced.
Taking aim at Saturday night’s performance which saw Rose and Gio show off their Tango, Gary said: “The judges were saying they had great footwork and I just saw three absolutely horrendous foot errors.
"I actually disagreed with the whole footwork scenario, I actually saw plenty of faults in her footwork.
"Again she is someone for me who is blowing hot and cold. I think she is going to be totally dependant on what dance she gets and when.
"She's looking really good to stay in for a long time but she could go out early if she gets the wrong sort of dance. I think that's going to be quite interesting."
Saturday night saw Rose and Giovanni make Strictly history as they got a full 40 marks from the judges – becoming the first couple to earn such a score so early in the contest.
Speaking to Claudia Winkelman after receiving 10s across the board, Rose gushed: "No, it hasn't sunk in yet, but I think later it will sink in... I got the earliest 40 in history?"
Giovanni told her: "Yes you did! You did
While Giovanni vowed to do all he could to help Rose get to the final.
He said: “I will make sure with all my power that you're gonna have the best time of your life, because you truly deserve every single second of happiness, you really do deserve every single second."
While Rose and Gio continue to wow the judges – leaked results details show that the fan favourites of the series are actually McFly star Tom Fletcher and Amy Dowden.
Over the weekend, it was revealed Tom and Amy are said to be the most popular with the Strictly audience voting at home, as last week they received 19.1 percent of the whole vote.
A source said: "It's a case of the McFly factor for Tom, the fans just don't seem to stop being loyal to them."
But it's not over for favourites Rose and Giovanni, who were a close second in last week's vote according to the figures with 18.2 percent.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One on Saturday night at 6:45pm.
