This photo shows Rose Ayling Ellis on strictly, which started last Saturday. The photo shows her signing as she is the first deaf contestant to appear on the show.
Rose says she wants to challenge the myth that deaf people can't enjoy music. She says she has attended gigs with friends where people have asked why she is there because she 'can't hear anything'. "They think we hear nothing. But hearing stuff isn't just about hearing stuff in your ear, it's also visual. You watch the show, you feel it as well."
Rose, who acts on EastEnders, says there was a lack of role models for her when she was growing up. "I just never thought I could do acting full time. I never really saw deaf people on TV."
Rose wants deaf children to see her as that role model; "Hopefully it will give them the realisation that they can do whatever career they want. Nothing is impossible, and I know that a lot of deaf children grow up in society that thinks that it's not possible (for them to succeed). But no- you can do it."
