Born in Kent, Rose Ayling-Ellis, 29, acted in EastEnders from 2020 to 2022. She won Strictly in 2021, and got a Bafta for one of her performances. In 2022, she made her West End debut as Celia in As You Like It, and was Olivier-nominated for the role. She fronted a documentary called Signs for Change in 2023, and this year received an MBE for services to the deaf community. She presents Channel 4’s coverage of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games from 28 August, and features on Who Do You Think You Are on BBC One this autumn. She lives in London.
What is your greatest fear?
Loneliness.
Which living person do you most admire and why?
Dolly Parton. I love how she does what she wants, and lives how she wants, keeping her life so private. Also, she helped fund Covid vaccine research.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Avoidance coping.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Selfishness.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Rapping the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme on national television.
What is your most treasured possession?
Childhood home videos.
Describe yourself in three words
Ambitious, resilient and emotional.
If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose?
West African black rhino; I was lucky enough to see one in the wild 14 years ago.
What makes you unhappy?
Feeling overwhelmed.
What is your most unappealing habit?
I pick the skin off my thumb.
Who would play you in the film of your life?
No one who isn’t deaf could play me, as my deafness is involved in everything I do. I’ll wait and see when a new deaf actor comes on to the scene.
What scares you about getting older?
Not being able dive into water when I’m 80.
What is the worst thing anyone’s said to you?
“I’ll tell you later.” They never do.
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Eating the whole family-size bag of crisps in one sitting.
What do you owe to your parents?
My sense of humour.
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To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why?
My dad’s family, for fake drowning when I was 12 on holiday in France – it caused such embarrassment that we had to leave. All because I wanted to get the inflatable ring off my brother. It still haunts me. I guess acting was always going to be my future.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My cat Rocky.
What has been your biggest disappointment?
I didn’t email my grandfather enough before he passed away.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
If emergency train announcements were written up on the information screen. The times I ended up at the wrong destination could easily have been avoided.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
That my work has given deaf children more confidence in themselves and a sense of ownership of who they are.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
You have to ride the wave and never wait for it to be calm, because it never will be.
