Giovanni Pernice reveals new tattoo in tribute to Strictly partner Rose Ayling-Ellis

John Whaite has opened up about how he felt once Strictly Come Dancing ended.

SHE won the glitterball trophy after making Strictly history as the first deaf person to appear on the show. Now Rose Ayling-Ellis and her professional partner Giovanni Pernice have revealed the secret behind becoming champions. Speaking at the launch of the Strictly tour, the dancers explained they had a winning combination of a "special connection" and not feeling under pressure to be the best.

Kai Widdrington has been the subject of many romance rumours over the past months. During the latest season of Strictly Come Dancing, it was suggested that the professional dancer and his partner, AJ Odudu, were more than friends and now many are convinced he and Nadiya Bychkova have been together for a few months.MORE: Strictly's AJ Odudu reacts to Kai Widdrington's first picture with Maisie Smith ahead of tourSince Nadiya's split from her fiancé Matija Škarabot was announced and the two dancers were linked, Kai remained silent on his Instagram feed - until Tuesday.WATCH: Giovanni Pernice and Kai Widdrington return to London in a private jetThis week, after five days of not posting onto his social media profile, the dancer shared an image of himself taken during Strictly Come Dancing's worldwide Tour Arena in Leeds, alongside his partner Maisie Smith.READ: Strictly star Nadiya Bychkova splits from fiancé Matija after long-distance relationship RELATED: Shirley Ballas breaks silence over Strictly tour romance rumours"Leeds we're here and ready to go @maisiesmithofficial @strictlycomedancinglive," he simply wrote, celebrating their first night in the new city and ignoring all romance rumours.

Giovanni Pernice and dance partner Rose Ayling-Ellis looked closer than ever after dancing for the Strictly Come Dancing tour - sparking new romance rumours.

Strictly Come Dancing's Shirley Ballas has hinted at secret romances on the show’s live tour, amid rumours of a flirtation between Kai Widdrington and Nadiya Bychkova. Some of the biggest Strictly stars from the latest series are taking part on the Strictly Live UK tour, including series winner Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice, as well as runner ups John Whaite and Johannes Radebe. AJ Odudu, who had to pull out of the tour due to injury, is being replaced by EastEnders’ Maisie Smith, to dance with AJ’s dance partner Kai.

Strictly Come Dancing champions Giovanni Pernice and Rose Ayling-Ellis were snapped ass they headed back to their hotel on tour.

There are plenty of romance rumours hitting the Strictly Come Dancing live tour - but for some, it's all about the 'bromance' for two of its stars.

Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice are wowing Strictly Come Dancing fans across the country as they take the live tour to various cities.MORE: Giovanni Pernice talks sizzling chemistry with Rose Ayling-Ellis after dedicating tattoo to herBut away from the limelight, the pair - who made Strictly history when they lifted the glitterball trophy in December - are still finding some downtime, taking pictures behind-the-scenes of backstage antics.WATCH: Giovanni Pernice kisses Strictly partner Rose Ayling-EllisTaking to her Instagram Stories on Monday following the Birmingham leg of the tour, Rose posted a snapshot of a polaroid with her dance partner and fellow pro Luba Mushtuk.MORE: Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice spark reaction with near kiss during rehearsalsREAD: Giovanni Pernice says the sweetest thing about dancing with Rose Ayling-Ellis againAlongside the post, the EastEnders star added a gif of a lizard and wrote: "@giovannipernice The classic lizard [laughing face emojis]."During Strictly rehearsals last year, Rose often referred to Giovanni as a "lizard". When asked why, she explained on It Takes Two: "It's a joke that we have.

Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice looked closer than ever during the Strictly Come Dancing tour.The EastEnders actress won the coveted glitterball trophy last month with the professional dancer, with the pair striking up a close friendship in the process. And their bond was clear to see as 31 year old Giovanni was seen with his arm around the soap star, who made history as the first deaf star to compete in and win the series. Clad in a black coat atop a white hoodie, the Italian pro looked at ease as he kept the soap star close to him during their downtime from rehearsals.

Strictly Come Dancing tour.The pair finished up four gigs between Thursday and Sunday at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham alongside their fellow Strictly stars, including Tilly Ramsay and John Whaite.And on Friday, Giovanni and Rose were seen pictured leaving the venue as they headed back to their hotel ahead of two more shows over the weekend.In one of the snaps, the 31-year-old Italian-born dancer appears to hold his hand on Rose’s back as they engage in a conversation with onlookers.In what seemed to be a clear endeavour to go incognito, Giovanni sported a black trench coat and a white hoodie with the same colour trainers.He paired his ensemble with a New York Yankees cap, making him barely recognisable from his usual dapper fashion sense.Rose, on the other hand, looked comfortable and cosy in her long puffy jacket while her hair was tied up in a bun.Another photo of the pair saw Giovanni rest his arm on the EastEnders star’s shoulder as she beamed with a bright smile before the pair went on to make their exit.The 27-year-old from Kent became the first deaf contestant to win Strictly Come Dancing back in December, with John and his partner Johannes Radebe landing in second place.After being presented the Glitterball trophy, Rose paid tribute to Giovanni, saying the latter “always had a piece of her heart”.Their win also became Giovanni’s first time at taking home the grand prize, having previously made it to the final in 2015, 2017 and 2018.Reacting to their victory, the BBC star gushed: “Incredible.

Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice have been spotted in a warm embrace while enjoying downtime on the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour. The champions of the 2021 series have joined the likes of Tilly Ramsay, Max George and Maisie Smith on the arena tour, which is hosted by It Takes Two presenter Janette Manrara.

EastEnders star Rose Ayling-Ellis, 27, and her dance partner Giovanni Pernice, 31, won the latest series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2021, with many fans noticing their incredible chemistry.The victory was also a momentous one for the deaf community, as Rose was the first deaf dancer to appear on the show. Giovanni and Rose’s close bond continues to draw fans in, as it beautifully translates to their time on the dance floor. The stars are currently touring with their fellow finalists and other cast members on the Strictly Come Dancing live tour. So far, the pair have won the competition night after night thanks to their notable popularity. Speaking to the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine, Giovanni was quizzed on his chemistry with Rose.  “It's about respect,” he explained. “From there you build a friendship, and you have fun.”Rose seems to be having an absolute ball on the tour, admitting that while the competition was “full-on”, she wouldn’t have it any other way.She said: “It's funny, Strictly is so full-on, but when it stops it becomes...

Strictly Come Dancing star Nadiya Bychkova calls a very cosy house home.The gorgeous 32 year old, who was recently rumoured to be dating co-star Kai Widdrington, has an adorable five year old daughter who she shares with ex fiancé Matija Škarabot.The star shares the occasional peek inside her gorgeous home on social media – and it looks super cosy! Posing on her bed amid chic scatter cushions, Nadiya enjoyed a coffee and captioned the snap: "Coffee is the answer ..I don’t remember the question." Get exclusive celebrity stories and fabulous photoshoots straight to your inbox with OK!'s daily newsletter. You can sign up at the top of the page.

Strictly Come Dancing fans have said the 'fairy tale is still alive' as Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice get another chance to dance together.

Giovanni Pernice and Rose Ayling-Ellis have formed one of the best partnerships on Strictly Come Dancing, continuing to keep fans hooked with their day-to-day antics on social media.MORE: Giovanni Pernice kisses Strictly partner Rose Ayling-Ellis in must-see videoThe stars, who often sing each other's praises on and off screen, are currently touring the country with some of the Strictly cast on the live tour. Each night, they have managed to finish as winners as their popularity soars.WATCH: Giovanni Pernice kisses Strictly partner Rose Ayling-EllisDuring a new chat with Daily Mail's Weekend Magazine, the Italian pro touched upon the foundation of their sizzling chemistry.

BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing have taken to social media to criticise the show’s live tour after some audience members behaved inappropriately during a routine.Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice’s award winning performance to Symphony by Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson features a section in which the music is turned down completely, allowing the audience to understand how life can feel when someone is hard of hearing.EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis was born deaf and wanted to do something special for their routine during Couple’s Choice week.Their touching moment went on to win Heat Magazine’s TV Moment Of The Year 2021 and earned the couple one point off a perfect score.Shirley Ballas described the dance as ‘absolutely beautiful’ while fellow judge and ex-Strictly professional Anton Du Beke said it was the ‘greatest thing I’ve ever seen on this show.’The dance was an obvious choice for Rose and Giovanni to perform on the Strictly Come Dancing tour, an annual whistle stop tour round the country after the series finishes in late December.Unfortunately, some members of the crowd were intent on ruining the show as the lights dimmed and the music stopped.One audience member wrote: “Was a great show tonight, ashamed someone in the audience shouted out during the silent part of the dance."One fan said: “I have a feeling they’ll have a better chance in London,” while another simply left: "Morons!"“Agree, there were a couple of them who couldn't contain their excitement," added another eyewitness."Well deserved, you are such a beautiful team.

Giovanni Pernice and Rose Ayling-Ellis captured viewers' hearts repeatedly throughout the last series of Strictly Come Dancing before going to lift the Glitterball after a sensational finale in December.The talented pair now have even more reason to celebrate, after it was revealed that they have won every performance of the live Strictly show so far!MORE: Giovanni Pernice teases end of partnership with Rose Ayling-EllisGiovanni re-shared an image from a fan account on Instagram that showed himself and Rose mid-dance, which was captioned with the news.Speaking on This Morning earlier this month, the pair opened up about what fans can expect from their live performances.WATCH: Giovanni Pernice kisses Strictly partner Rose Ayling-Ellis"We said it'd be weird for us not to do [our couple's choice]," Rose told Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, with Giovanni adding: "It was such a special moment that we have to do again and again."MORE: Strictly's Giovanni Pernice says the sweetest thing about dancing with Rose Ayling-Ellis againSEE: Strictly's Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice's partnership sparks tour to make this big changeThe dancer continued: "It's such an important dance, it's a statement, and doing it in an arena with 10,000 people live and stopping the music would be quite spectacular, I think.

Strictly Come Dancing's first ever deaf contestant, Rose Ayling-Ellis, joined her colleagues in kicking off an action-packed tour earlier this week.

After a two year absence, the sequin-festooned spectacle of Strictly Come Dancing Live is back at arenas up and down the country.

Tilly Ramsay showed off her "war wounds" on Sunday after taking an unfortunate tumble during Saturday's Strictly Come Dancing The Live Tour show. Taking to Instagram, the 20 year old posted a picture of her painful-looking and wounded knee as she posed for a selfie, captioned: "Last night's war wounds.

Strictly Come Dancing star Rose Ayling-Ellis came across some embarrassing video material of herself in the lead-up to her much-awaited tour dates.