Strictly star Emma Barton was seen using Makaton sign language to say thank you to her fans as she discovered she had made it through to next week.
The 42-year-old actress looked utterly delighted as she and her pro partner Anton du Beke were confirmed safe during the Sunday results show.
Dressed in a sparkling royal blue dress, Emma looked shocked as her name was announced before clapping her hands together and mouthing the words ‘thank you’.
She then used the Makaton sign to send her thanks to viewers who were either non-verbal or hard of hearing.
Makaton is a sign language programme adapted from British sign language that uses signs and symbols as a means of communicating.
The language also assists those who are non-verbal to move at their own pace to develop their skills, with the gesture often accompanied by spoken cues.
Fans immediately took to Twitter to thank the Eastenders star for her inclusivity, with one writing: “Lovely to see @EmmaBarton signing ‘Thank you’ again. Raising awareness of Makaton and children who use it to communicate in everyday life. Well done for getting through as well. I thought your dance was beautiful.”
Emma is not the first celebrity to use Makaton to reach out to fans.
Over the course of this year’s Strictly, Michelle Visage, Chris Ramsey and Saffron Barker have all been spotted using Makaton gestures including thank you and love.
The judges have also tried their hand at Makaton, with head judge Shirley Ballas using the sign for ghost during her entrance for Halloween week.
According to the official Makaton website, more than 100,000 children and adults in the UK use the Makaton system to aid communication.
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