Giovanni Pernice was among those to support Rose Ayling-Ellise after she shared how she was heartbroken. The former Strictly Come Dancing pairing has continued to show each other love and support since they won the BBC One dance contest in 2021.
Italian dancer Giovanni was among those who reached out to comfort actress Rose after she spoke out about feeling "terrified and heartbroken" in an Instagram message.
In her post, Rose was responding to news that a British toddler had her hearing restored after becoming the first person in a pioneering gene therapy trial to 'treat' deafness. The former EastEnders star, who has been deaf since birth, referenced the development by sharing a picture of herself as a little girl, alongside a long post about her feelings, saying: "It feel like the end."
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Rose wrote in the caption of her post: "Here is a photo of me as a toddler. If I had been born a couple of years later, my life could have been very different. Today, it was reported that a gene therapy trial has taken place. I knew that it was going to happen, but I didn’t expect it so soon. My first reaction was feeling terrified and heartbroken. It feels like the end.”
"Imagine a world where everyone is 'normal'. What will become of our story, our culture, language, and identity? Will we be the last deaf generation and end up in a museum somewhere? Deaf people have existed throughout human history. Who decides that their lives are not worth being integrated into society? Who assumes that we want to be “fixed”? Where will they draw the line?
"Will all the hard work that deaf people fought for inclusivity be thrown out of the window? Why would society meet us halfway now they are the 'cure'? A cure is defined as 'relieving a person of the symptoms of a disease or condition'. My deafness is not a disease or a condition. I don’t need relief from it. My deafness has given me many opportunities, and my life is richer because of it. Why would I want that to be gone?"
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She went on: "There are many deaf people out there that are doing great things! Why should we tell them that they are broken when, in fact, they are winning? To add insult to injury, this was released during Deaf Awareness Week. The week should be about embracing and spreading awareness about our culture. Not something to overcome.
"Can you help me out here? Let’s spread positivity. Leave a comment about your favourite thing about being deaf or being with deaf people?" However, Rose added that she respected the decision made by the family who took part in the treatment and asked her followers to do the same.
She said: "Like any parent, they are doing what they believe is best for their child. This is not a rant directed towards them in any way. Rather, it is a rant directed towards the society that makes us all believe that being deaf will only bring us suffering, when in reality, it is quite the opposite."
Giovanni, 33, swiftly replied to the 29-year-old's post with three love hearts and liked the post, reports OK!. Morning Live's Gethin Jones shared: "@yvonneycobb is now a work colleague and a friend, she’s taught me so much. More than anything she is a proper good laugh and normalises (if that’s the right word) everything. Yvonne is a class chef, we’ve learnt so much BSL just through cooking. Thanks for the post Rose."