Giovanni Pernice's 'addiction to Strictly partner' who 'made him better person'

Strictly 2021 star Dan Walker spoke out about the heartbreak Giovanni Pernice experienced when his stint with Rose Ayling-Ellis - Strictly's first ever deaf contestant - came to an end.

In an unearthed interview, he revealed the candid chat he'd had with the Sicilian pro, who is currently under investigation by the BBC over Amanda Abbington's "abuse" allegations. He recalled that the win was bittersweet for him as, after the final, it "hit" the besotted star that their time together was over.

Dan says Giovanni told him: “[I sadly realised] I’m not going to dance with Rose again. It was horrible. I don’t mind telling you, I am addicted to Rose. She is contagious. I have to talk to her every day."

He continued in an interview with the i Paper: "If you go and see Gio on tour now, he has a sign language interpreter on the stage. Together they changed Saturday night TV." Dan added: "Gio will tell you that he is a better teacher and a better person because of the time he spent with her."

He concluded that "the best partnerships continue long after the glitter ball has been handed out". Rose certainly seemed to have brought out Giovanni's best side, as he tenderly kissed her and carried her around after rigorous rehearsals left her feet bruised and sore.

Giovanni later addressed his enduring friendship with Rose during an appearance on The One Show.

The visibly emotional star exclaimed: "Rose not only changed my life, she changed lots of lives. What she achieved was great, raising awareness for the deaf community."

Explaining the reason behind his decision to keep on an interpreter for his shows, he explained: "Rose told me once that deaf people can go to the theatre only once a year on the Wednesday afternoon. It's the only time they do a signed performance.

"I think a lot of people would like to go to the theatre a lot more often so I decided to keep going with those performances."

Giovanni added: "I think it's really important to be more inclusive. I think we should all try to be more inclusive really."

Rose has remained silent on the allegations made against him by Amanda Abbington, who has claimed he was "abusive" and "mean" while training her and subjected her to "humiliation".

Giovanni denies any suggestion of wrongdoing and has reportedly provided the BBC with a "secret recording" of Amanda apologising for being difficult to work with.

In it, she apparently says that she is a "nightmare" and that he "probably feels like throwing [her] out of the window".

A source close to Amanda denied that the footage will exonerate him and Amanda is pressing ahead with her complaint.

The results of the BBC probe are expected later this week - but in the meantime, Giovanni has released a trailer promoting his upcoming tour The Last Dance, ominously suggesting that it will be his "final solo tour".