As they head into the Strictly Come Dancing final, Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice both admit they can’t bear for the show to end.
While the EastEnders actress has been blown away by the way in which Gio has adapted his teaching techniques to accommodate her deafness, he says his biggest highlight has been the positivity she brings to training every day.
But tomorrow, when the glitterball trophy is finally lifted by this year’s winner, it means their 14-week journey will definitely be over.
Giovanni, who joined the BBC1 series in 2015, confessed: “It’s the first time that I’m saying, ‘I don’t want this to finish’.
“With Rose, it’s been just lovely. The way that she really wants to learn the dance and the way she really wants to get that dance right on the Saturday night, it’s fantastic.
“Sometimes I watch it back and I completely forget that she’s deaf because the way she dances, it’s like a professional. So I’m a very, very proud teacher, but more than anything, I’m happy that I discovered a fantastic friend for life, for sure.”
And Rose, 27, says she feels the same.
Sitting side by side with the 31-year-old Italian, she says: “My highlight is spending time with Gio in the studio –learning to dance and spending every day and then, on Saturday night, when it goes really well and we’ve spent a whole week on it.
“I just love every single week, even the dances I’m not very comfortable with.
“I’m going to miss it so much, spending time with you every day.”
Now she wants to enjoy the final, in which each celeb will perform two of their previous dances from the series plus a show dance.
She sighed: “We’re going to enjoy it because it’s the last Saturday night ever.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do on Saturday nights after this.”
The actress says the experience has far exceeded her expectations.
“It was quite nerve-wracking saying yes to taking part because it’s the first time anyone deaf has been on Strictly.
“So I knew that was quite a bit of pressure beforehand.”
But she says show bosses gave her an interpreter and captions to make it possible for her to take part in the series.
Rose adds: “It’s been better than I ever thought it was going to be.” And having Giovanni as her partner has been a big part of her success.
“I think he learned so much, he meets me halfway so he literally comes into my world, and accepts who I am and the way I learn things and he adjusted his teaching around that. And it works so well.
“Sometimes when things didn’t work, when a particular dance move didn’t match with the timing in my head with the music, he’ll say ‘OK, that didn’t work let’s try something else’.
“He’ll adjust it. That’s why he’s a fantastic teacher.”
For his part, Sicilian-born Giovanni said that he wouldn’t have wanted to see the soap star paired with any other pro dancer. He says: “I’m the one privileged to be able to do this journey with Rose, if she was doing it with someone else, I would be jealous.”
The pro, whose previous partners have included Faye Tozer, Georgia May Foote and Ashley Roberts, explains: “I’ve been on the show long enough to be ready to challenge myself – and in Rose I had the perfect partner to do that, because from day one positivity has been the key of our friendship.
“And that’s the reason I think why we’re such a great team. I changed up my way of teaching. Rose helped me a lot as well.”
Rose, who plays Walford’s Frankie Lewis, said that she knew Giovanni was the perfect partner from the very start.
“I knew that he’d be really good, I just felt it, because one thing that I really like about Gio is his track record!” she says.
“Also he’s Italian and we know that Italians are very expressive and direct. When they talk, they say it how it is – they don’t waffle or use metaphors. I’ve realised it’s been so funny. We’ve got a similar sense of humour.
“And I have really enjoyed my time with Giovanni. He’s a very good teacher and he can have fun as well.”
Despite her extraordinary natural ability on the dance floor, Rose says she never dreamt she would make it to the final.
Thanking everyone at home for all the votes, she says: “I feel amazing. I’ve been here since day one and I’ve got all the way to the end. That’s so cool. I’m going to give the final everything I’ve got.
“When I watch my dance from week one and then my last dance, I feel that I have improved so much in such a short time and it’s mainly down to Gio.
“He’s the one who’s teaching me.”
On Saturday night they will perform the quickstep, chosen by the judges.
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They will be dressed as characters from the 2013 Disney movie Frozen.
Gio says of the quickstep choice: “The reason why they picked this is we had the mistake, which was my mistake, so this time we’re going to get it right.”
Their own pick is the Couple’s Choice, which featured the astonishing silent section to remind viewers what Rose is hearing as she dances.
“It was such a big moment, it would be weird for us not to do it,” Giovanni says.
“Rose keeps saying that this dance changed her life, and lots of people’s lives, so I think it’s the right thing to do.”
Finally they will perform an elaborate show dance. Gio says: “It’s a celebration of me and Rose, our relationship together, in a sense of we found this beautiful friendship.
“Saturday night has to be a celebration. We’re in the final, we made it all the way and then… que sera sera.”
He is right that whatever will be, will be. But if the bookies are right, they will be the ones who end up holding the glitterball trophy aloft.
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