Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice has celebrated his history-making perfect score with Rose Ayling-Ellis from Saturday night’s show, dubbing it ‘one of the most rewarding moments of my career’.
On the latest episode of Strictly, which marked the return of the spooky Halloween Week, Giovanni and Rose performed a stunning Tango to Shivers by Ed Sheeran, with their routine telling the story of an evil ice queen.
The pair earned four 10s from judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke, marking the earliest a couple has ever achieved a perfect score on the BBC One series.
In a post shared on Instagram, Giovanni – who became overcome with emotion when they received their scores on the night – emphasised just how much the achievement meant to him.
The professional dancer, who’s been on Strictly since 2015, paid homage to his partner Rose, describing her as an ‘inspiration’.
‘One of the most rewarding moment [sic] of my career… and is all down to you @rose.a.e ! You are an inspiration.. a super star!’ he said in his caption on Instagram.
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Giovanni referenced the fact that Rose calls him a ‘lizard’ in rehearsals when she makes mistakes, writing: ‘I know I can be a lizard sometimes (most of the times) but I am very proud of us !!
‘No matter what the scores are we both know how much we work in the studio every day to achieve those performances !! Hard work always pays off !!!’
He added that he feels ‘honoured and privileged’ to be Rose’s partner on the show.
This year, Rose became the first Deaf celebrity ever to compete on Strictly Come Dancing.
During their performance in week five, Rose and Giovanni were showered with praise for their powerful Viennese Waltz, which incorporated sign language into the choreography.
The EastEnders actor was astounded when she learnt that their routine had sparked a surge in online searches for sign language, exclaiming: ‘That’s the whole point why I’m on this show! Hopefully they will actually learn to sign.’
On Sunday, Loose Women star Judi Love became the latest celebrity to be eliminated from the competition after missing the previous week’s show due to Covid.
‘This has been an amazing experience, a life changing experience, I want to say thank you to all the professional dancers, the judges, the team, everybody!’ the comedian said upon her exit.
Paying tribute to her partner Graziano Di Prima, Judi added: ‘Graziano has supported me, stuck by me, and took me to a place I never thought I could go and so for that I love you so much. Thank you.’
Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday at 6.45pm on BBC One.
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