Strictly Come Dancing star reveals biggest "surprise" in new project
Former Strictly Come Dancing star Rose Ayling-Ellis has revealed the biggest surprise from her new project, Signs for Change.
The 2021 champion and former EastEnders star appeared on The One Show to promote the one-off documentary, which follows the actress as she “explores whether attitudes towards the deaf community are capable of changing.”
Appearing opposite hosts Alex and Gethin Jones, Ayling-Ellis spoke about a segment in the documentary in which people are asked if they would want their hearing to come back, revealing she was “surprised” by the responses.
Related: Strictly star Rose Ayling-Ellis to return to TV with new ITV crime drama Code of Silence
“I was surprised, because a lot of people think deaf people are the same but they’re not,” she said. “Deaf people are so different; some speak and some use sign language, some wear cochlear implants.
“So when I do meet someone, who doesn’t really identify as deaf, actually not want their hearing [back], I’m like “Yes! Join in my community.’ It’s that proud identity – we belong to something,” she added.
Ayling-Ellis, who was partnered with Giovanni Pernice on Strictly, also spoke about the documentary as a whole, explaining that she wanted to paint a fuller picture in regards to the deaf community.
“Everyone has seen me on Strictly and it changed so much – people look at deaf people in a really positive light,” she said. “But the thing is, it needs to be balanced out. You can’t just see all the positives without seeing the negatives, and seeing the issues that we face in the UK. I was really passionate about showing the other side.”
"You can't just see all the positives without seeing the negatives"@RoseAylingEllis tells us why she wanted to make her new documentary, #SignsForChange 🦻#TheOneShow 👉 https://t.co/7JLpWDNTLz pic.twitter.com/YblZACEzGM
— BBC The One Show (@BBCTheOneShow) June 22, 2023
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The actress recently spoke about her time on Strictly and the Couple’s Choice routine that wowed both the judges and the audiences, revealing that she initially “hated” the choreography for the now-iconic dance.
“I hated it. It was what hearing people think deaf people experience. Very insular, cut-off, small. It was so sad,” she explained. “[The eventual routine felt] more true to me. It was only at camera rehearsals in the studio, when I was told the crew – who never stop – all dropped what they were doing to watch that I thought: ‘S***. This might be a big deal.’”
Signs for Change will air on BBC One on Monday June 26 at 9pm. Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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