EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis will be making history on Saturday as she becomes the first ever deaf contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.
Rose, who plays Danny Dyer's character Mick Carter's daughter, Frankie Lewis, said she "never thought it would be possible" to become a television star, as so few deaf people have done it.
The 26-year-old discovered her acting talent during a filming weekend run by the National Deaf Children’s Society, where she met deaf film director Ted Evans, who later cast her in his award-winning short film The End, and she was inspired to apply to Deafinitely Youth Theatre.
Her EastEnders character Frankie communicates using a mixture of oral English and British Sign Language (BSL), so Rose often has to perform in Sign Supported English (SSE), which she says is complicated for her - though viewers would never guess.
"When I use SSE, it’s like thinking of two languages at the same time while performing, so a BSL monitor checks my BSL is clear on-screen," she wrote for the National Deaf Children’s Society.
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"I also have a BSL interpreter on set at all times, paid for by my Access to Work."
She went on: "My ambition is to amplify deaf voices and to stop people assuming deaf people can’t achieve.
"The challenges of dealing with people’s lack of understanding made me more determined and want to work harder.
"It’s so important not to be ashamed of being deaf. Both Frankie and I are proud of our deaf identities."
Rose, who wears hearing aids, will be starring on this year's Strictly, which launches on Saturday night.
And cheering her on from the sidelines will be her long-term boyfriend Samuel, who she has been in a relationship with for seven years.
Samuel, who is also deaf, called Rose a "true badass".
"I still find you the most funniest, beautiful and super cool girlfriend I ever asked for.
"You are a true badass girlfriend."
When her stint on Strictly was announced, Rose said in a statement: "To be the first deaf contestant on Strictly Come Dancing is so exciting and a little bit scary.
"It is the hardest secret I have ever had to keep so it feels amazing to finally have this out in the open.
"I hope I will do the deaf community proud and break down more barriers.
"But I am also very excited to learn an incredible new skill and even better I get to learn whilst wearing beautiful dresses made especially for me."
Last month, Rose posted a video of her and EastEnders co-star Danny practising sign language together.
She said: "His deaf awareness is top-notch. He even walks backwards with me to set, just so I can see his face."
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* Strictly Come Dancing launches on Saturday, 18th September at 7:45pm on BBC One
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