Actress Rose Ayling-Ellis has moved BBC viewers with her profound documentary highlighting the deaf community and her experience of growing up as a deaf child.
Rose, who previously starred in EastEnders and won Strictly Come Dancing in 2021, was hailed as a "hero" by viewers with others calling the documentary "eye-opening".
The BBC documentary, titled Rose Ayling-Ellis: Signs for Change, highlighted Rose's career as an actress as well as her time on Strictly, when she was crowned as the winner in 2021 alongside dance professional Giovanni Pernice.
Speaking to members of the deaf community and charity workers, the moving programme also included personal conversations with her own family members about her upbringing as a deaf child.
As the documentary aired on Monday night (June 26), BBC viewers took to social media to praise Rose for opening up and bringing the deaf community into the spotlight.
Writing on Twitter, one viewer said: "A really interesting and lovely documentary by Rose Ayling-Ellis just now. What a hero she is."
Another echoed their thoughts as they wrote: "Isn’t Rose Ayling-Ellis a wonderful young woman? We need more people like her. Bunches of Roses everywhere."
"Just finished watching the programme about Rose Ayling-Ellis. What an inspiration that lady is. I was totally absorbed and found it a ‘real eye-opener!’ Great respect," shared a third.
Another shared: "Rose Ayling-Ellis needs to present every BBC documentary from now on, this is fantastic."
A fifth tweeted: "Watching Rose Ayling-Ellis's new documentary on BBC, and I’m already sobbing. This is such a much-needed documentary."
Rose, now 28, was born deaf and has been vocal about raising awareness of deafness - particularly after her successful stint on Strictly Come Dancing two years ago.
Earlier this month she launched a campaign pushing for "real political change".
She says struggling parents are forced to fork out thousands of pounds for British Sign Language lessons – or face being unable to communicate with their children.
Rose, who was the first deaf actor to star in BBC soap EastEnders, said: "We really need to look at how we as a society treat deaf people in this country. Hearing aids and cochlear implants are free on the NHS but learning sign language isn’t.
"Thirty years ago my mum learned sign language and she had to pay – and I meet up with parents of deaf children today and they still have to pay thousands of pounds to communicate with their children in sign language, because the training simply isn’t available on the NHS. How can that be fair?"
Rose's documentary Rose Ayling-Ellis: Signs for Change is available on BBC iPlayer.
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