Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice have won a BAFTA TV Award for their enchanting silent dance on Strictly Come Dancing.
The pair, who lifted the Glitterball trophy in 2021 after wowing with their incredible chemistry and gorgeous performances, won the award for must-see moment.
EastEnders actress Rose, 27, was the first deaf contestant to compete on Strictly alongside partner Giovanni.
The spellbinding routine saw them perform to Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson's song Symphony.
But in the middle of the performance, the music paused as they continued to dance - giving viewers an insight into what it was like to be Rose and not hear the music.
Appearing on stage this evening, Rose said: "It is a very special moment for us because hopefully it showed how powerful TV can be, where it has actually introduced changes.
"It has even helped the BSL (British Sign Language) law be passed recently. It made people stand up more for sign language, and just a better deaf awareness and positiveness towards people. We have still got a long way to go but it is such a great start. We are so, so, so proud of it."
Giovanni added: "When we first thought of the idea to put silence into the dance, we knew it was going to give an impact, but this went bigger than what we thought."
Fans were left sobbing after watching the performance last year and Giovanni went on to say that the silent dance with Rose would remain in his heart forever.
Alongside a sweet snap of Giovanni and Rose sharing a sweet embrace after their stellar performance, the Italian dancer penned in November: “A moment that will remain forever in my heart️.
"You really are a ROLE MODEL,” Giovanni added.
After winning the BBC dancing show in December, Giovanni said after being asked how it felt to win: "Incredible. I have to say, thank you to this beautiful, young lady that made all my dreams come true.
"It took my seven years to get that thing! You became the best dance, the best teammate I could have asked for. You are a dream Rose, so thank you for everything," he added.
Rose then said: "I just want to say you are so amazing. You pushed me to believe in myself. You are an incredible teacher, but not just that, you are a wonderful friend.
"We've gone through a lot, and no matter how busy we get, you've always got a piece of my heart, you really do," she continued as her voice began to break.
