Rose Ayling-Ellis

Rose Lucinda Ayling-Ellis was born on 17 November 1994, in Hythe, Kent, where she grew up with her older brother. She was born deaf. During the weekend, she met deaf film director Ted Evans, who later cast her in his 2011 short film The End, which marked her acting debut. She then joined the Deafinitely Youth Theatre, and concurrently studied fashion design at the University for the Creative Arts, graduating in 2016. ==Career==

Acting Following her debut in The End, Ayling-Ellis appeared in a number of stage productions, including Lyric Hammersmith's Herons Workshop in 2016, Royal Exchange Theatre's Mother Courage in 2019, and London National Theatre's Faith, Hope and Charity in 2019. Her early television credits include the medical drama Casualty (2017) and the period drama Summer of Rockets (2019). She also had a part in the 2017 music video for The Vamps' song "Middle of the Night". Her departure from the series was announced in August 2022, with her final scenes airing on 22 September 2022. Ayling-Ellis was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the 2023 Laurence Olivier Awards and won The Stage Debut Award for Best West End Debut for her performance in As You Like It at @sohoplace. and appeared in a guest role in "The Well", an episode of the fifteenth series of Doctor Who, both in 2025. Ayling-Ellis also portrayed Alison Brooks in the 2025 ITV drama series Code of Silence. Her performance in Reunion earned her a nomination for the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress. In an interview before the start of the series, she said: Ayling-Ellis and Pernice scored 40 (full marks) for their tango in week six, which was the earliest "perfect score" in the show's history. In week eight, their Couple's Choice contemporary dance featured a rumba with an added period of silence as a tribute to the deaf community. Described by judge Anton Du Beke as "the greatest thing I've ever seen on the show", it earned them the 2021 Heat Unmissables Award for TV Moment of the Year. It also won the British Academy Television Award for Virgin TV's Must-See Moment in 2022. In May 2022, Ayling-Ellis became the first celebrity to sign a bedtime story on CBeebies, telling the tale of Raymond Antrobus's 2020 children's picture book Can Bears Ski?. In August 2022, she unveiled the first deaf Barbie doll equipped with behind-the-ear hearing aids released as part of the Barbie Fashionistas line consisting of a number of diverse dolls. She worked with Mattel during the production of the doll, and featured in the promotional campaign "Rose, Barbie & Friends". In August 2024, she was announced as a presenter for Channel 4's coverage of the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, France. As a result, she became the first deaf person to host live sport coverage on British television. As announced in June 2024, Ayling-Ellis signed a 10-book deal with DK Children's, including non-fiction, picture books and board books, starting with Rose Knows: The Amazing Story of Communication in 2025. Ayling-Ellis took part in the 2026 New Year Taskmaster panel game show, winning the second episode and becoming the overall winner. ==Personal life==

In an interview with the National Deaf Children's Society, Ayling-Ellis explained that she often has to perform using Sign-supported English (SSE) to reflect her own communication style and make it clear to audiences. Her deafness has not stopped her from enjoying music, and she told The Guardian that her favourite artists are Dolly Parton and Stevie Wonder, and that she is a big fan of soul music. Ayling-Ellis was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2024 Birthday Honours for voluntary services to the deaf community. She was the subject of a 2024 episode of the BBC genealogy programme Who Do You Think You Are? On the programme, she discovered that her fourth great-grandfather, Pasquel Lyons, was born in Italy and is likely to have immigrated to England during the Napoleonic Wars. ==Bibliography==