Strictly winner Rose Ayling-Ellis' reason for not appearing in anniversary special 'revealed'

Strictly Come Dancing aired a 20th anniversary special over the weekend but fans noticed that former winner Rose Ayling-Ellis, who won with Giovanni Pernice, didn't participate

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Strictly Come Dancing champ Rose Ayling-Ellis was absent from the anniversary special which aired this weekend. Strictly Come Dancing: 20 Fabulous Years aired on Saturday in celebration of the BBC show's 20th anniversary this year. It looked back at the last two decades and a host of former contestants were interviewed for the project.

Rose, 30, was however not among them, despite having made history in 2021 when she became the first deaf contestant. The actor and her dance partner Giovanni Pernice , now 34, went on to be named the winners that year. Some fans posted about the former EastEnders cast member's absence from the special on X, formerly known as Twitter .



One viewer wrote: "Very strange that Rose wasn't interviewed." Another said: "Shame Rose isn't in this." A third wrote: "Shame that Rose obviously wasn't available to be there.

" A source has however claimed to the Sun that Rose does not want to discuss her time on the show with Giovanni, who has faced scandal this year over complaints about him. An internal investigation was even launched into claims made by fellow actor Amanda Abbington , now 50, who had been partnered with him on Strictly last year. She made allegations of "bullying" and "aggressive behaviour," with Giovanni strongly denying "abusive or threatening behaviour".

Speaking about Rose not participating in the anniversary special, the source said: "Rose loved her time on the show, but didn't want to discuss her time with Giovanni. She's chosen not to speak about him and Amanda publicly." It was announced in September that the BBC, following its internal investigation, had ruled that Giovanni was not physically abusive, but that Amanda's complaints about verbal bullying and harassment were upheld.

Out of up to 17 allegations against Giovanni, six were upheld. In a statement announcing the conclusion of the review into Amanda's claims against Giovanni, the BBC said at the time: "The BBC has now concluded its review into the complaints made by [Amanda] against [Giovanni]. We take any allegations of bullying and harassment very seriously and this review has taken time due to its complex nature and our desire to ensure a rigorous and robust process was undertaken.

"[Strictly] is a family show and we rightly expect very high standards. While competition can be tough, rigorous and demanding, we want the show to ultimately be a joyous and transformative experience. It is a great shame if this hasn’t been the case for everyone who has appeared on the show.

We have assessed the complaints and we have upheld some, but not all, of the complaints made. We want to apologise to Amanda Abbington and to thank her for coming forward and taking part. We know this would not have been an easy thing to do.

" Amanda then issued a statement in which she said that the apology "meant a lot" to her. She said as part of her statement: "Today's apology from the BBC is a vindication of my complaint. It's not just a vindication for me, it's a vindication for the other people who have contacted me since I made my complaint to express concerns about their own experiences on [Strictly].

I hope those who have felt unable to speak out now will be more confident that they will be listened to and believed. The BBC has invited me to meet with senior management and this is something I will now be considering." She added: "What matters most now is that lessons have been learned and that the BBC makes the changes they've promised, to ensure others don't experience the same ordeal that I and others like me did.

" Giovanni - who is no longer on Strictly - also addressed the outcome of the review. He told his followers in a video: "Reading stuff that were untrue, wasn't the nicest time of my life lets be honest. But today I'm happy because, you know, at the beginning there were very very serious allegations thrown out at me but as in today, none of the serious allegations have been upheld.

All the threatening, abusive, harassment behaviour allegations have not been upheld." And in a written statement, a spokesperson for him said: "We are pleased that this six-month review has not found any evidence of threatening or abusive behaviour by Giovanni. [He] is relieved that the overwhelming majority of allegations out to the BBC have not been upheld and looks forward to continuing his work on Dancing With The Stars in Italy this season.

" Although Rose didn't participate in the anniversary special that aired this week, scenes of her and Giovanni from their time on their series of Strictly did feature. Their acclaimed couple's choice to the song Symphony was discussed. And despite her absence, several other former winners did feature in the special.

They included Natasha Kaplinsky , who won the first ever series in 2004, and more recent champions like Stacey Dooley , Hamza Yassin and Ellie Leach . Follow Mirro r C elebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads ..