Strictly winner Rose Ayling-Ellis has reportedly split from her long-term boyfriend Sam Arnold.
The EastEnders actress, 27, has been with her partner for seven years, as he cheered her on when she lifted the glitter ball trophy with partner Giovanni Pernice last year.
But according to The sunthe pair called it quits, with Sam leaning on Rose’s friend and CBeebies host Aimee Campbell-Nottage for support.
Sad: Strictly winner Rose Ayling-Ellis has reportedly split from long-time boyfriend Sam Arnold (pictured together)
A friend told the publication: ‘Rose and Sam’s relationship is definitely over. It is very friendly and they will remain good friends, but unfortunately there is no romantic future for them.
“They spent a lot of time apart while Rose was on tour, which made an impact. It was hard for both of them, of course, but they’re sure it’s the right move – and Sam had a shoulder to cry on with their mutual friend Aimee.
“In the meantime, Rose has devoted herself to her work. She’s had a lot of offers since she won Strictly. It’s an exciting time for her.’
MailOnline has reached out to Rose representatives for comment.
Tough: According to The Sun, the couple has called it quits, with Sam leaning on Rose’s friend and CBeebies host Aimee Campbell-Nottage for support (the couple pictured with Giovanni Pernice, Rose’s partner on Strictly last year)
It comes after it was reported this week that Rose’s friends have expressed doubts about the couple’s future due to their busy work schedules and said they are concerned the infamous Strictly curse will strike again.
Rose – who has kept her relationship fairly private over the years – vacationed in Barcelona on her own earlier this year.
A source told the publication: ‘Rose and Sam broke up, especially after she was so busy with work projects and in demand with new work opportunities.
“They still have a lot of love and respect for each other, but they are also still young and working on their lives.
History: The EastEnders actress, 27, has been with her partner for seven years as he cheered her on when she lifted the glitter ball trophy with partner Giovanni Pernice (pictured) last year
“Rose went to Barcelona alone to organize her thoughts and think about what she wanted. They have both grown as people since they first started dating.
“This is Rose’s moment and she is taking life by the horns, concentrating on her career and seizing every opportunity she can.”
The Strictly curse sees couples who appear on the show break up with their partners as a result of appearing on the program.
Rose and Samuel keep their relationship private, but made a rare public display of affection on their sixth anniversary last year.
Samuel wrote, “I still think you’re the funniest, most beautiful, and super cool girlfriend I’ve ever asked for,” while Rose added, “We’ve been together for six years and I still don’t mind you.”
Travel: In 2019, the couple went on vacation to Peru, where Rose shared a moment of relaxation together in the Huacachina Desert
In 2019, the couple went on vacation to Peru, where Rose shared a photo of relaxing in the Huacachina Desert together.
It comes after Rose lashed out at the lack of diversity on TV earlier this week when she revealed she is developing a new comedy-drama about deaf women dating in London.
The star has campaigned for the rights of people with disabilities after she rose to fame as the soap’s first full-time deaf actress and the first hard of hearing contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking about her experience at Edinburgh TV Festival, the actress revealed that she was “done with the symbolic deaf character” on screens and said more needs to be done to make TV accessible, such as making sure all shows have working subtitles.
She said, ‘My reality isn’t always fun. It’s no fun if my access is compromised,” she explained, with a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter on stage next to her.
Dancing queen: Rose made history as the first deaf entrant to Strictly Come Dancing last year (pictured with partner Giovanni after they won)
“It’s not nice to realize that my presence is a sign. It’s no fun when my favorite TV shows don’t have subtitles.
“It’s no fun feeling frustrated and unheard of.”
Rose also reflected on some of the challenges she faced while working on acting projects, including the expectation that she would teach the rest of the cast BSL.
She also revealed that she would spend time explaining how to improve scripts to make them more accessible and authentic to a deaf person’s experience, but that her changes often remain outside the final version.
Iconic: The EastEnders star is campaigning for the rights of people with disabilities after she rose to fame as the soap’s first full-time deaf actress (pictured in the show)
She said: “I’m constantly fighting to have my deaf identity represented, but eventually I feel like my voice isn’t being heard — I end up feeling torn.
“Torn between representing the deaf community and telling our story, but wanting to have a career with good working relationships.”
As for her view that captioning should be improved, she explained that not all channels are required to caption 100% of their shows and stated that media watchdog Ofcom has said that “regulatory decisions are made based on affordability and audience size, and sometimes technical problems’.
She continued: “Whatever the future holds for me, I know one thing for sure: I’m done being the symbolic deaf character. I believe diverse, rich and fascinating deaf stories are ready to go mainstream and we can do this together.
“I don’t know if anyone is going to listen to me, or if this is getting lost in the hype.
“What I do know is that people with disabilities should not be responsible for curing non-disabled people of their ignorance.”
Rose’s powerful speech came when it was revealed she is developing a new comedy-drama that will give hearing-impaired actors a chance to shine.
The currently untitled comedy-drama follows a group of deaf women navigating the London dating world and is based on Rose’s own experiences.
Rose will star on the show and help write the script.
She said Deadline: ‘This has not been discussed. We hear a lot about being feminine and how women appear on the dating scene, but as a deaf woman it’s a very different experience. It will be fun to share that story.”
She further noted that she is surrounded by a diverse team during production, noting, “There are so many different people on the show and I can’t speak for their experiences, so I wanted a team that put it all together. I don’t exactly go to the countryside to write this for months.’
‘I’m done being the symbolic deaf character’: Rose has called for more TV diversity and revealed she has written a new comedy about dating hard of hearing women