Rose Ayling-Ellis MBE
Ayling-Ellis in 2022
Born	Rose Lucinda Ayling-Ellis (1994-11-17)17 November 1994 (age 31) Hythe, Kent, England
Alma mater	University for the Creative Arts
Occupations	Actress presenter writer
Years active	2011–present

Rose Lucinda Ayling-EllisMBE (born 17 November 1994) is an English actress, television presenter and writer of children's books. Deaf since birth, she is aBritish Sign Language user. On television, she is best known for her role asFrankie Lewis in theBBC soap operaEastEnders (2020–2022) and for winning the19th series ofStrictly Come Dancing withGiovanni Pernice in 2021; she was the programme's first deaf contestant. In 2025, she starred in theITV dramaCode of Silence.

Also known for her theatre work, she has been nominated for aLaurence Olivier Award and wonThe Stage Debut Award. She is the recipient of theVisionary Honours for Inspirational Person of the Year.

Rose Lucinda Ayling-Ellis was born on 17 November 1994, inHythe, Kent, where she grew up with her older brother, Jacob.^[1][2][3] She was born deaf.^[3] Her parents separated when she was five months old.^[3]

She attended theChrist Church, Church of England High School inAshford, Kent.^[2] As a child, she took part in a filming weekend organised by theNational Deaf Children's Society.^[4] During the weekend, she met deaf film director Ted Evans, who later cast her in his 2011 short filmThe End, which marked her acting debut.^[4][5] She then joined theDeafinitely Youth Theatre, and concurrently studiedfashion design at theUniversity for the Creative Arts, graduating in 2016.^[6][7]

Following her debut inThe End, Ayling-Ellis appeared in a number of stage productions, includingLyric Hammersmith'sHerons Workshop in 2016,Royal Exchange Theatre'sMother Courage in 2019, andLondon National Theatre'sFaith, Hope and Charity in 2019.^[2][8] Her early television credits include the medical dramaCasualty (2017) and the period dramaSummer of Rockets (2019).^[9] She also had a part in the 2017 music video forThe Vamps' song "Middle of the Night".^[2]

From 2020 to 2022, Ayling-Ellis portrayedFrankie Lewis in the BBC soap operaEastEnders. Her character was originally written by deaf journalist and scriptwriter Charlie Swinbourne, and she made her first appearance on 18 May 2020.^[10] Her departure from the series was announced in August 2022, with her final scenes airing on 22 September 2022.^[11]

Ayling-Ellis was nominated forBest Actress in a Supporting Role at the2023 Laurence Olivier Awards and wonThe Stage Debut Award for Best West End Debut for her performance inAs You Like It at@sohoplace.^[12][13] She starred as Miri in the BBC thriller seriesReunion,^[14] and appeared in a guest role in "The Well", an episode of thefifteenth series ofDoctor Who, both in 2025.^[15] Ayling-Ellis also portrayed Alison Brooks in the 2025ITV drama seriesCode of Silence.^[16] She is developing a comedy drama about deaf women dating in London,^[17] and is attached to executive produce and star as Tuva Moodyson in the crime thriller seriesTuva, a television adaptation of Will Dean's novelDark Pines.^[18]

In 2021, Ayling-Ellis became the first deaf contestant on BBC'sStrictly Come Dancing.^[5] She participated in and won the show's19th series, with professionalGiovanni Pernice.^[6][19][20] In an interview before the start of the series, she said:

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.^[21]

Ayling-Ellis and Pernice scored 40 (full marks) for theirtango in week six, which was the earliest "perfect score" in the show's history.^[22] In week eight, their Couple's Choice contemporary dance featured arumba with an added period of silence as a tribute to the deaf community. Described by judgeAnton Du Beke as "the greatest thing I've ever seen on the show",^[23][24] it earned them the 2021Heat Unmissables Award for TV Moment of the Year.^[25] It also won theBritish Academy Television Award for Virgin TV's Must-See Moment in 2022.^[26]

In May 2022, Ayling-Ellis became the first celebrity to sign a bedtime story onCBeebies, telling the tale ofRaymond Antrobus's 2020 children's picture bookCan Bears Ski?.^[27] In August 2022, she unveiled the first deafBarbie doll equipped with behind-the-ear hearing aids released as part of the Barbie Fashionistas line consisting of a number of diverse dolls.^[28][29][30] She worked withMattel during the production of the doll, and featured in the promotional campaign "Rose, Barbie & Friends".^[28][30]

Ayling-Ellis presented the BBC documentaryRose Ayling-Ellis: Signs for Change in 2023,^[31] and the two-part BBC documentary seriesRose Ayling-Ellis: Old Hands, New Tricks in 2025.^[32] In August 2024, she was announced as a presenter forChannel 4's coverage of the2024 Summer Paralympics inParis, France. As a result, she became the first deaf person to host live sport coverage on British television.^[33]

As announced in June 2024, Ayling-Ellis signed a 10-book deal withDK Children's, including non-fiction, picture books and board books, starting withRose Knows: The Amazing Story of Communication in 2025.^[34]

In an interview with theNational Deaf Children's Society, Ayling-Ellis explained that she often has to perform usingSign-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 toldThe Guardian that her favourite artists areDolly Parton andStevie Wonder, and that she is a big fan ofsoul music.^[5] She was in a relationship with Samuel Arnold, who is also deaf, from 2014 until 2022.^[35][36]

Ayling-Ellis was appointedMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the2024 Birthday Honours for voluntary services to the deaf community.^[37] She was the subject of a 2024 episode of the BBC genealogy programmeWho 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 theNapoleonic Wars.^[38]

• Rose Knows: The Amazing Story of Communication (2025)
• Rose Says Good Morning! (2025)
• Rose Says Good Night! (2025)

• Rose Ayling-Ellis atIMDb 
• Rose Ayling-Ellis onTwitter

• 1994 births
• Living people
• 21st-century English actresses
• Actors from Folkestone and Hythe District
• Actresses from Kent
• Alumni of the University for the Creative Arts
• BAFTA winners (people)
• BSL users
• British deaf actresses
• English actors with disabilities
• English deaf people
• English people of Italian descent
• English soap opera actresses
• English stage actresses
• English television actresses
• Members of the Order of the British Empire
• People from Hythe, Kent
• Strictly Come Dancing winners
• Writers from Kent

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