Rose Ayling-Ellis

Rose Ayling-Ellis, the first Deaf contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, won it in 2021 with Giovanni Pernice, and their routine with a moment of complete silence became one of the show's most celebrated. Her profile helped the campaign behind the British Sign Language Act 2022, which recognised BSL as a language of Great Britain, and she presented a BBC documentary on Deaf education. On stage she has played Celia in As You Like It with BSL woven into the production.