Strictly winner Rose Ayling-Ellis 'splits from boyfriend Sam Arnold'

Strictly winner Rose Ayling-Ellis ‘splits from her boyfriend Sam Arnold after couple grew apart while he leans on her friend for support’

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, with him cheering her on as she lifted the glitterball trophy with partner Giovanni Pernice last year.

But according to The Sun, the couple have called it quits, with Sam leaning on Rose’s pal and CBeebies host Aimee Campbell-Nottage for support.

Sad: Strictly winner Rose Ayling-Ellis has reportedly split from her long-term boyfriend Sam Arnold (pictured together)

A friend told the publication: ‘Rose and Sam’s relationship is definitely over. It’s very amicable and they’ll remain close friends, but unfortunately there is no future for them romantically.

‘They spent a lot of time apart while Rose was away on tour, which has had an impact. It’s been difficult for them both, of course, but they’re certain it’s the right move — and Sam’s had a shoulder to cry on in their mutual friend Aimee.

‘Meanwhile Rose has been throwing herself into work. She’s had lots of offers since winning Strictly. It’s an exciting time for her.’ 

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Rose for comment. 

Tough: According to The Sun , the couple have called it quits, with Sam leaning on Rose’s pal 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 doubt over the couple’s future due to their busy work schedules and have said they are worried that the infamous Strictly curse may strike again. 

Rose – who has kept her relationship fairly private over the years – holidayed in Barcelona by herself earlier this year. 

A source told the publication: ‘Rose and Sam drifted apart, especially after she became so busy with work projects and was in-demand with new work opportunities.

‘They still have a lot of love and respect for each other, but they’re also still young and working out their lives.

History: The EastEnders actress, 27, has been with her partner for seven years, with him cheering her on as she lifted the glitterball trophy with partner Giovanni Pernice last year (pictured)

‘Rose went to Barcelona on her own to gather her thoughts and think about what she wanted. They have both grown as people since they first starting dating.

‘This is Rose’s moment and she is grabbing life by the horns, focusing on her career and taking any opportunity that she can.’

The Strictly curse sees couples who appear on the show break up with their partners as a result of appearing on the programme.

Rose and Samuel keep their relationship private but made a rare public display of affecting on their sixth anniversary last year.

Samuel wrote: ‘I still find you the most funniest, beautiful and super cool girlfriend I ever asked for,’ while Rose added: ‘Six years we’ve been together and I still don’t find you annoying.’

Travel: In 2019, the pair went on holiday to Peru where Rose shared a snap of the relaxing in the Huacachina desert together

In 2019, the pair went on holiday to Peru where Rose shared a snap of the relaxing in the Huacachina desert together.

It comes after earlier this week Rose hit out at the lack of diversity on TV as she revealed she’s developing a new comedy-drama about deaf women dating in London. 

The star has been campaigning for disability rights after gaining  prominence as the first full-time deaf actress on the soap and the first hearing-impaired contestant on Strictly Come Dancing. 

Speaking about her experience at Edinburgh TV Festival, the actress revealed that she was ‘done with being the token deaf character’ on screens and said more needs to be done to make TV accessible, such as ensuring all shows have working subtitles. 

She said: ‘My reality isn’t always nice. It is not nice when my access is compromised,’ she explained, with a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter on stage beside her.

Dancing queen: Rose made history as the first deaf contestant on Strictly Come Dancing last year (pictured with partner Giovanni after they won)

‘It is not nice to realise my presence is a token. It is not nice when my favourite TV shows don’t have subtitles.

‘It is not nice to feel frustrated and unheard.’

Rose also reflected on a number of the challenges she has faced while working on acting projects, including being expected to teach the rest of the cast BSL. 

She also revealed she would spend time explaining how scripts could be improved to make them more accessible and authentic to a deaf person’s experience, but that her changes are often left out of the final cut.

Iconic: The EastEnders star has been campaigning for disability rights after gaining prominence as the first full-time deaf actress on the soap (pictured on the show) 

She said: ‘I’m constantly fighting to have my deaf identity represented but end up being made to feel like my voice isn’t 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.’

Turning to how she feels subtitles need to be improved, she explained that not all channels are required to subtitle 100% of their shows and stated that media watchdog Ofcom has said that ‘decisions on regulations are made on the basis of affordability and audience size, and occasionally technical difficulties’.

She continued: ‘Whatever is next for me, I know one thing for sure – I am done with being the token deaf character. I believe that diverse, rich, and fascinating deaf stories are ready to go mainstream and that we can do this, together. 

‘I don’t know if anyone is going to listen to me, or if this will be lost to the hype.

‘What I do know is that disabled people shouldn’t be responsible for curing non-disabled people of their ignorance.’

Rose’s powerful speech came as it was revealed that she’s developing a new comedy-drama that will give hearing-impaired actors a chance to shine. 

The currently untitled comedy-drama will follow a group of deaf women navigating the dating world in London and is based on Rose’s own experiences. 

Rose will star in the show as well as helping to write the script.  

She told Deadline: ‘This is something that hasn’t been spoken about. We hear a lot about being female and how women appear in the dating scene but as a deaf woman, it’s a very different experience. It will be nice to share that story.’

She went on to note that she is being surrounded by a diverse team during the production, noting: ‘There are so many different people in the show and I can’t speak on behalf of their experiences so I wanted a team that could put it all together. I won’t exactly be going to the countryside to spend months writing this.’

‘I am done with being the token deaf character’: It comes as Rose has called for more TV diversity and revealed she’s penned a new comedy about hearing-impaired women dating

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