Giovanni Pernice praised by Strictly Come Dancing fans for continuing to use British Sign Language

Giovanni Pernice has been praised by Strictly Come Dancing fans for using British Sign Language in last night’s episode.

The Italian professional dancer, 32, has been partnered with radio personality Richie Anderson on season 20 of the BBC dancing show.

The pair were lucky enough to make it through to another week, after the judges scores were combined with the public vote.

Upon finding out that they would be dancing again next week, they said “thank you” to their fans in British Sign Language.

The sign, which the pair did three times, involves tipping the fingers of one hand from the chin downwards.

Their triumph comes after Giovanni won the glitterball trophy last year alongside actress Rose Ayling-Ellis.

Rose, who has been deaf since birth, was the first deaf contestant to take part in Strictly Come Dancing.

During Strictly rehearsals, Rose, who is best known for playing Frankie Lewis on Eastenders, taught Giovanni some basic BSL.

Fans of the show have taken to Twitter saying that Giovanni used BSL again this year as a sweet gesture to his former partner.

One fan said: “Really impressive to see Giovanni continuing to use the sign language Rose taught him last series”.

Another fan said the Italian dancer still using BSL is “so cute”, while a third said “it’s heartening to see” him still promoting deaf awareness.

Giovanni and Rose’s BAFTA winning dance put the topic of deafness in the spotlight, and the pair even visited Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children.

Despite Rose being the first deaf contestant, last year was not the first time that BSL had been used on the show.

In the 2019 series, Chris Ramsey, Saffron Barker, Emma Barton, Michelle Visage and their partners were all praised for saying “thank you” in BSL, out of respect for non-verbal viewers.

The weekend before Halloween, YouTuber Saffron and her dance partner AJ Pritchard entered the dancefloor using the BSL for Halloween.

That same episode, head judge Shirley Ballas used the sign for ghosts in her entrance.

At the time, Amy Clarke, from learning disability charity Mencap, spoke to Metro about the stars using Makaton -  a language programme that uses signs, speech and symbols.

She said: “It’s fantastic that the judges and contestants on Strictly Come Dancing are using Makaton as it makes the show more accessible for people who have a learning disability, like me.

“By using Makaton on the programme, Strictly Come Dancing is helping to raise awareness about learning disabilities and make people who have a learning disability feel more included in society.

“I feel that Makaton should be used more often across reality television shows and hope that more programmes will follow suit.”