As well as her and pro partner Giovanni Pernice winning the audience vote, Strictly Come Dancing star Rose Ayling-Ellis had another reason to celebrate in Newcastle on Friday night.
And that was the fact that after lots of campaigning from her and others, British Sign Language is set to be recognised as an official language throughout the UK, after the Government backed a new bill to see it instated as one.
Rose, Strictly's first ever deaf contestant, sparked a massive surge in Google searches for BSL on her way to victory on the show with Giovanni last year.
READ MORE: Helen George hits back at Call The Midwife pregnancy critics
In the final, Rose spoke about how much her Strictly success meant to her and other deaf people, as she was left incredibly moved by fans who described her as an inspiration.
Addressing the passing of the second reading of the BLS bill on her Instagram on Friday, EastEnders star Rose wrote "Today is a big day for the deaf community, BSL is a language and very important part of my life.
"It made me who I am. The second reading passed!! But it is still not over yet. The third reading will happen on March 18th."
Hours after the BSL bill was discussed by the Government, Rose and Giovanni were in action at Newcastle's Utilita Arena in the third show of the Strictly live tour on Tyneside.
They shared their delight at the outcome while being interviewed by tour host Janette Manrara, before going onto perform their incredibly poignant Couple's Choice routine, which included them dancing to 10 seconds of complete silence.
After County Durham star of Dragons Den, Sara Davies, and pro partner Aljaz triumphed on night one of the tour in Newcastle, Rose and Giovanni won both the matinee and evening shows in Newcastle on Friday.
For the latest What's On news, announcements and reviews direct to your inbox, go here to sign up to our free newsletter
