Rose Ayling-Ellis has still got the backing of her former Strictly Come Dancing partner Giovanni Pernice as he was one of the first to respond to her latest career move. The actress hasn't been seen on the small screen since leaving EastEnders last year.
Rose, who played Frankie Lewis in the BBC One soap, is to play a character recruited by police to use her lip-reading skills to uncover the conversations of criminals in a new ITV drama.
The 28-year-old actress was the first deaf contestant to take part in Strictly before she went on to lift the Glitterball trophy. She has since joined campaigners in Parliament in a renewed call for British Sign Language to be given legal status in the UK and recently appeared on Loose Women as a panellist for a special episode to mark Deaf Awareness Week.
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But Rose will now star in new crime drama Code Of Silence. She will play a deaf catering worker, called Alison Woods, who to make ends meet works in both a police canteen and a local bar and cares for her deaf mother.
Alison then becomes key to a police investigation when she translates a criminal gang’s conversations as she finds herself drawn to one of the main suspects, the announcement about the new six-part thriller said.
"When I first read Catherine Moulton’s script it was obvious that her first-hand experiences and understanding has enabled her to write a truly authentic character and I knew I had to be a part of this project," Rose said in a statement. "I am so delighted ITV are as excited as we are to bring this to life and I can’t wait to get to started."
Writer Moulton, who has worked on Baptiste and Then You Run, said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity to combine my love of tense, twisty thrillers with my experience of lip reading and hearing loss, and all in a show for ITV. I can’t imagine a more perfect Alison than Rose and I will do my best to make sure the story keeps audiences on the edge of their seats."
Rose also took to Instagram to share the news of her new acting gig. Alongside a teaser for the series, she wrote: "I CANNOT wait to bring this to life with @itv! However, I cannot say much about it because…. It is the Code Of Silence." As already mentioned, Giovanni quickly replied, sharing a string of emojis in the comments section.
Fellow Strictly 2021 finalist John Whaite replied: "Exciting times," while AJ Odudu, who was forced to pull out of the final the same year, posted a string of flame emojis.
And fans were also thrilled. @bigtedinbed said: "Over the moon for you Rose, your so missed on our screens." @livingwithhearingloss replied: "This is going to be incredible. Thank you @rose.a.e for all your hard work and determination." @susanriley178 added: "So happy for you Rose you will be brilliant cannot wait to watch this."
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