Rose Ayling-Ellis is worlds away from Strictly Come Dancing as she stars in gritty new BBC thriller with all-star cast
STRICTLY Come Dancing champion Rose Ayling-Ellis will star in a new four-part thriller for the BBC.
The 29-year-old won Strictly alongside Giovanni Pernice in 2021, having been the show’s first deaf contestant.
The line-up that year featured John Whaite, who finished as runner-up, as well as AJ Odudu, Dan Walker, Judi Love, Tom Fletcher and Sara Davies to name a few.
Rose is also known for playing Frankie Lewis in EastEnders, a role she portrayed from 2020 to 2022.
The character was introduced as a friend of Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) and as the previously unknown daughter of Mick Carter (Danny Dyer).
In a sickening plot twist, it emerged Frankie had been conceived following Mick’s sexual abuse as a child by Frankie’s mother, Katy Lewis (Simone Lahbib), who had been his social worker.
Rose’s final scenes as Frankie aired in September 2022 while the actress moved on to new ventures.
In other work, Rose was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the 2023 Olivier Awards for her role on stage in As You Like It.
Her new project is four-part series Reunion, which is being made by Warp Films for BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Written by Sheffield-born deaf writer William Mager, the project follows a deaf character, Daniel Brennan, who is determined to right his wrongs and unravel the events which led to his imprisonment.
Notably, Reunion marks a milestone by the majority of the cast and crew being deaf or using British Sign Language.
Matthew Gurney leads the cast as central character Daniel Brennan alongside Lara Peake as Brennan’s estranged daughter Carly.
The all-star line-up also includes Bad Sisters and Sex Education actress Anne-Marie Duff as Christine, Ray Donovan star Eddie Marsan as Stephen, as well as Rose in the role of Miri, Christine’s daughter.
Further additions to the ensemble include Dune: Part One actor Stephen Collins and Broadchurch star Joe Sims, who played Nigel Carter in the ITV crime drama.
Filming for Reunion is currently underway in Yorkshire.