Rose Ayling-Ellis: I don’t have to compromise on deafness after onscreen success

Rose Ayling-Ellis says she feels she no longer has to “compromise” after bringing better awareness around the deaf community to the showbusiness industry.

The actress and Strictly Come Dancing champion said her onscreen works were “great opportunities” to showcase “what deaf people can do”.

Ayling-Ellis came to national attention in 2021 after performing a poignant routine on the popular BBC dance competition with professional partner Giovanni Pernice – part of which was performed in silence.

The actress, who is also known for her role in long-running soap EastEnders, has continued to advocate for the deaf community within the industry.

She has recently helped to mentor Unify, an all-deaf sign performance group who use British Sign Language (BSL), ahead of a special coronation concert on May 7.

Led by choirmaster Gareth Malone, the 300-strong “superchoir” will feature community choirs and amateur singers from across the UK with wide-ranging backgrounds.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Ayling-Ellis said: “EastEnders and Strictly were great opportunities to show the industry what deaf people can do – now people are listening to me, I no longer have to compromise.

“(The coronation concert) is such a cool way of showing all these different people who represent the UK; I can’t wait to see all the other choirs perform.”

Ayling-Ellis previously met the King and Queen Consort, a self-confessed Strictly fan, when they visited the EastEnders set in March last year.

“It’s great that the coronation will have a BSL interpreter,” she said.

Other acts on the coronation concert bill include US singers Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, and Take That, with the choir performances being captured in a one-off BBC documentary.

Ayling-Ellis has previously spoken candidly about her experience as the “poster girl for the deaf community” and says her “lifetime project” is to get BSL taught in UK schools.

Following her Strictly final, the demand for online BSL courses rose by 4,000 per cent and the BSL Act was passed last year to recognise BSL as a language and to promote its use more widely.

The actress has also just finished filming a BBC documentary in which she explores the daily challenges, barriers and discriminations faced by deaf individuals.

“There’s a long way still to go, but it’s very exciting that all this change is happening,” she said.

The full interview with Rose Ayling-Ellis can be read in this week’s Radio Times.