Rose Ayling-Ellis was cheered on by someone very special during Saturday night's finale – her longtime boyfriend Sam who finally made his Strictly debut!
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The EastEnders actress' partner looked so proud of his girlfriend as he watched on from the audience alongside Rose's mum, Donna. Appearing to be overcome with emotion, Sam dutifully played the supportive boyfriend as he admired Rose's impressive performances opposite pro partner Giovanni Pernice.
WATCH: Rose Ayling-Ellis wows on Strictly: It Takes Two alongside Giovanni Pernice
Fans saw a glimpse of him in the audience after Rose performed her second dance where he applauded her in sign language alongside Rose's mum.
Sam supported his girlfriend
Fans will no doubt have been delighted to see Sam in the audience after he was notably absent from a friends and family video message shown to Rose during It Takes Two on Friday.
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The 27-year-old has been in a relationship with Sam for almost a decade. The couple have been dating since 2014, and earlier this year they celebrated seven happy years together.
© Photo: InstagramRose and Sam have been dating for seven years
Like Rose, Sam is also deaf, and the pair tend to keep their relationship out of the spotlight. However, over on Instagram, the Strictly star has shared several sweet snaps of the two of them during their many travels.
Back in 2020, she penned a sweet but funny tribute to her beloved boyfriend on their anniversary. Alongside a photo of the two of them on a trip, she wrote: "Six years we been together and I still don't find you annoying," followed by a love heart emoji.
© Photo: InstagramRose and Sam like to keep their relationship private
Rose has made history as the first deaf contestant to compete on Strictly Come Dancing since it launched in 2004. Speaking to the BBC ahead of her debut on the show back in September, she said: "I hope I will do the deaf community proud and break down more barriers.
"But I am also very excited to learn an incredible new skill and even better I get to learn whilst wearing beautiful dresses made especially for me."
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