Entertainment
Strictly Come Dancing 2021: Fans praise judge Cynthia Erivo for using sign language with Rose Ayling-Ellis
Rose beamed as Cynthia shared her feedback (Picture: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing fans were full of praise for guest judge Cynthia Erivo when she used sign language to communicate with Rose Ayling-Ellis after her Frozen-inspired routine.
Last week, EastEnders star Rose and her partner Giovanni Pernice astounded viewers by briefly dancing in silence during their performance, in a move that celebrated the Deaf community.
Tonight, they brought the magic of Disney to the dancefloor, playing Anna and Hans from the 2013 animated classic.
After their routine, they received glowing praise from the judges, including Oscar nominee Cynthia, who temporarily took Craig Revel Horwood’s place on the panel after he tested positive for Covid.
When presenter Tess Daly asked the Harriet star what she thought of Rose’s characterisation in the dance, Cynthia responded by using sign language while telling the star that she is ‘joyful’.
‘That was so much fun to watch, and you managed to get all the characterisation and the mood and the feeling all in one. It was gorgeous, so thank you,’ she said.
Giovanni and Rose delivered Disney movie magic (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC)
Strictly fans commended Cynthia for signing to Rose, with one person tweeting: ‘Rose’s face lit up when Cynthia signed to her and I think that really sums up just how amazing it’s been to have her on a prime time show.’
‘Aw Rose’s face when Cynthia signed to her! That was special. Great addition to the judging panel,’ someone else said.
‘Wow!! That was so so special that Cynthia signed to Rose herself. So so beautiful,’ another person remarked.
One viewer said that they ‘cried for three straight minutes’ after witnessing the sweet moment.
‘CYNTHIA SIGNING TO ROSE!!!! YES!!!! As if we needed anymore reason to love her,’ another added.
Cynthia was commended by many viewers for her judging style, with some calling for her to become a permanent judge.
Nonetheless, Craig’s absence was sorely missed, with the judge expected to return next week.
More: Strictly Come Dancing
Tonight’s show saw TV presenter AJ Odudu and her partner Kai Widdrington dance an elegant Waltz to Edelweiss from The Sound of Music, after landing at the bottom of the leaderboard last week.
Amid continued rumours of a romance between them, they seemed to play into the speculation during their VT, with AJ telling Kai that she wasn’t going to kiss him as they twirled playfully on a hill in homage to Julie Andrews’ Maria.
The Strictly Come Dancing 2021 results show airs tomorrow at 7.15pm on BBC One.
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