General Chat

I think they would have all won in the early years of Strictly, but the standard is so high this year. Any could win it, but it depends on the dances they do and making no mistakes as well as the public's favourite.

I read today that AJ had injured her ankle, which is really bad luck at this stage. I hope it will be ok for Saturday.

Photo of AJ on crutches in the DM today. apparently it is a ligament in the arch and she can hardly put her foot on the floor. If it is as bad as she says I can't imagine that she will be able to dance on Saturday.

So sad to think she has come this far, to be thwarted at the last moment.

Craig was on GMTV this morning, and said no decision had been made yet.

posted by BBC Strictly.

Sadly due to injury AJ and Kai have had to withdraw from Strictly and won’t compete in tomorrow’s Final. We want to thank them for 13 incredible weeks on the show and the pure joy they brought to the dance floor every week

such a shame and also spoils the final. I wonder how they will fill the time.

She will always wonder if she could have won and the others will too.

What a blow for them, and for us, the viewer. I really feel sorry for them, all that hard work over the weeks, only to miss out on the final.

Maybe they will 'fill' with show dances from the professionals. They are such that they can learn a new routine quickly.

What a shame, it will be a 'two horse race' now. :-( :-(

Oh that is a shame :-(

I think there are normally four in the Final but I guess they reduced it to three following Robert Webb's exit :-(

I think we all said that all four in the semis deserved to go through to The Final, it's a shame that they couldn't have found a way around Robert's exit earlier in the show and kept all of last week's contestants in The Final. Especially as they already had some missing a week cos of Covid at least it would have been a safety net if one did have to withdraw with through Covid or injury :-(

I have to say that when I heard AJ's injury was ligament I thought it was very doubtful that she would be able to dance one dance let alone three :-(

It won't be the same excitement with only two :-(

Spoils it for the other two couples too.

It must be so disappointing to get to the last hurdle and then get an injury that stops you competing in the final. I think ligaments can take a long time to heal too. It must be something you worry about all the time when you are competing.

I wonder how they will fill the time with just the 2 competing for the final now?

Cliff will probably fill in with 'Mistletoe and Wine' - and 'The Young Ones' :-D

I'm pleased Rose won, I still don't understand how she managed to be so foot perfect when she couldn't hear the music :-0

One of the lifts in her Showstopper was extraordinary, she must have so much trust in Giovanni :-0

John did very well too, loved their Paso but I think Rose always had that edge :-0

Sadly. because there were only two couples I felt The Final was a bit flat:-( Such a pity that AJ couldn't compete, not only from her point of view but for the viewing public, as I felt she would have brought that extra competitiveness that it lacked :-0

Only nine months to the next Strictly :-D

So many tears last night, for so many reasons.

I was delighted that Rose won, she has overcome so much to be able to achieve her success. Brilliant! <3

That lift was extraordinary, great strength from Giovanni, and Rose' stomach muscles must be really tight to hold that pose.

John and Johannes did well, and the drama of their Pirate dance was a great watch.

I did feel for AJ, with her sparkly crutches, it must have been crushing for her to watch and not take part.

And so another series ends. <3

They both danced well but Rose had the edge, it is not just her beautiful dancing but her joy at doing it. It must all feel very flat to them both this morning.
Yes that lift was extraordinary. I think she actually said in practise that it was the obly one that had actually scared her at first but she trusted Giovanni.

well done Rose. <3 <3

Praise to Giovanni as well.

I watched it from start to finish this week and I could see the difficulty had by the judges. Like Ann, however, I thought Rose’s sheer enjoyment shone through so, for me, she deserved to win.

Absolute praise to Giovanni too, as names has written, because so many lifts in such a short time needs muscular strength, correct lifting techniques, positioning and, as with Rose, trust in your partner to place all parts of your body where they ought to be so disaster doesn’t strike - one slip and you come undone but that’s what rehearsals are for. The main thing is to get it right on the night, which they did in abundance!

I thought their rhythm was spot on with the rhythm of the music - all praise to the orchestra too. However Rose managed the timing, if she couldn’t hear the beat, the highs and lows of the music, I would say that the dedication of the choreographer and dancers themselves was superb.

I have just found this, from a BBC interview with Rose in September, before the series started.

The actress tells BBC News: "It is a common misconception that deaf people can't enjoy music.

"I have a hearing aid, so I pick up some of the music and I can hear the beat. I can hear someone singing, but I can't identify exact words. I also feel the vibrations."

In the case of Strictly, vibrations from the live band led by Dave Arch can be felt through the large dancefloor at the show's Elstree studios.

The EastEnders star adds she will be able to use her professional partner for guidance to stay in time with the rhythm.

"I will be focusing on reading my partner's body language plus counting in my head, which will help me with timing," she says. "So for me it's a combination of everything."

"However," she points out, "not all deaf people are the same, every deaf person will have their own unique experience with music. I do love music and I can't wait to be taught how to dance at a professional level for Strictly!"

I thought Rose would win and loved watching the dances she did but I actually preferred watching John and Johannes dance . Their Paso was amazing again. I have in fact loved all the dances they have done .

I wonder if Giovanni was chosen for Rose because of his character. He has embraced learning to sign while working with rose to help her to learn the dances, he seems to have great patience. so full marks to him too.

I thought Giovanni worked wonderfully well with Rose. They had an infinity with each other.

I just loved the way he kissed her on her forehead, like a proud Father.

Thank you to everyone who took part and added to this thread.

God willing, we will do it again next year. :-D <3