Strictly's Rose Ayling-Ellis shares candid relationship update after personal struggles

Strictly Come Dancing star Rose Ayling-Ellis has shared a candid insight into her dating life as she opened up about her personal struggles. The 31-year-old rose to fame starring on BBC soap EastEnders before taking part in Strictly in 2021.

Rose became the first deaf contestant on the show when she took part alongside professional dancer Giovanni Pernice. The pair eventually lifted the Glitterball Trophy ahead of TV presenter John Waite and dancer Johannes Radebe.

Rose and Giovanni even won a BAFTA for their silent dance, which saw the music cut out in the middle of the performance to Clean Bandit’s Symphony. While Rose, who has since starred in ITV’s Code of Silence, has seen success on screen, she says she has had her struggles in her dating life.

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It has prompted her to write a comedy show about her experience while dating as a deaf person in London. Speaking to The I Paper, she said: “I've tried to be open-minded and go on lots of dates from the apps but it's hard because if we go somewhere noisy like a pub I can't hear and it makes lip-reading more difficult."

She herself however can see the funny side, admitting that “it’s great” when the dates go wrong, because she has “something to write about”. Rose admits she isn’t in a rush to settle down.

She said: “I've got my own flat, I've got a great career, I can do whatever I want. No compromise. No gross men!"

Rose had previously been dating Samuel Arnold for seven years until 2022. However the Strictly Come Dancing Live! tour reportedly put a strain on their relationship, reports BirminghamLive.

A friend told The Sun: "They spent a lot of time apart while Rose was away on tour, which has had an impact.

“It’s been difficult for them both, of course, but they’re certain it’s the right move — and Sam’s had a shoulder to cry on in their mutual friend Aimee [CBeebies host Aimee Campbell-Nottage]."

Rose hopes that her comedy show will encourage people to find the funny side of disabilities. She added: "People are scared of laughing at disabled people.”

She explained that during a recent Taskmaster appearance, she noticed “people weren't sure at first if they should be laughing or not” when she played Twinkle Twinkle Little Star “badly”.

It came during a task where the contestants had to do the most inspirational thing they could do for 20 minutes. Rose thought she’d make a joke at how “terrible” she would be.

She says people found the routine “really, really funny” after she gave them “permission” to laugh. Rose went on to admit that the “stuff around deaf people” makes life “harder”.

She pointed out that she can only go to the cinema when the subtitles are on. It led her to wonder why the world couldn’t “make it a bit easier” for people who are deaf.