The show’s first deaf contestant, Rose Ayling-Ellis, has wowed viewers of the dance competition, which – behind the spray tans and sequins – offers radical on-screen representation
People tend to watch
Strictly Come Dancing for one of two things: the dancing, or to relish the latest casualties of the “Strictly curse”. But forbidden relationships have taken a backseat this year, with fans instead fixated on the partnership between Rose Ayling-Ellis – the first deaf contestant in the show’s history – and partner Giovanni Pernice.
Many viewers needed educating on how the
Actor would be able to compete without hearing the
music. Ayling-Ellis explained that she could hear the beat, as well as feeling the vibrations from the live band through the dancefloor at Elstree studios. And, week after week, she has not only defied expectations but educated the public in ways you might not expect from a sequin-covered, spray-tan-heavy Saturday night TV show.