UPDATE: |BBC Reunion star Rose Ayling-Ellis ‘had to be involved’ as she reveals her excitement over show News

The Strictly Come Dancing star will be appearing on viewers small screens as she tackles an important role

Rose Ayling-Ellis is set to make a major career move as she stars in BBC One’s new thriller, Reunion, which focuses on a deaf ex-convict seeking revenge

The 30-year-old star first found fame on EastEnders as Frankie Lewis from 2020 to 2022. Before that, she also had roles in Summer of Rockets and The Quiet Ones.

In 2021, Rose participated in the 19th series of Strictly Come Dancing and became the first deaf contestant to participate on the show. She was partnered with professional dancer Giovanni Pernice who was later asked to leave the show in 2024 following a series of complaints from actress Amanda Abbington.

The pair made it all the way to the final and they lifted the Glitterball trophy and during the final, Rose and Giovanni performed their Couple’s Choice routine again which saw them dance without music for 20 seconds as a tribute to the deaf community.

Rose recently returned to our screens in a new two-part series on BBC One, Rose Ayling-Ellis: Old Hands, New Tricks. It follows a group of older people taking on the challenge of learning British Sign Language alongside the support of Rose.

She shared: “I knew filming this show would be a challenge, but what I have experienced teaching the residents sign language has gone beyond my expectations. It is an experience I will cherish for a lifetime, and I just can’t wait for viewers to see the series.”

Now, Rose will be starring in BBC’s Reunion, their brand-new four-part thriller, alongside Matthew Gurney, Lara Peake, Anne-Marie Duff and Eddie Marsan.

It’s described as: “a deaf man determined to right his wrongs while unravelling the truth behind the events that led him to prison. Brennan embodies the struggle of a man caught between two worlds, unable to fully integrate into the hearing world and shunned by his closest friends and the wider deaf community following his heinous crime.

“Amidst this isolation, Brennan’s only meaningful relationship is with his estranged daughter Carly who he has not had any contact with since his arrest over a decade ago.”

Rose plays the role of Miri, the daughter of Christine who is desperate to find Brennan and get to the full truth behind what he did.

The programme uses a combination of spoken English and British Sign Language. Speaking about what drew her to this role, Rose shared: “William Mager. In my experience, a deaf writer of a TV drama has rarely happened, ever. When I read the scripts there were so many moments in it that were so specific to deaf culture. It got me so excited to see those moments, and I just felt that I had to be involved.”

She continued: “There’s a moment where Miri meets Stephen properly and winds him up by using only sign language. I just love how deaf humour is a lot of taking the mick out of hearing people. Sorry about that, but that’s what we do.

“That’s what also got me excited about Billy writing the series. A deaf writer knows exactly what it’s like from my perspective, and I have never had that before. I’m just excited for the audience to see it and to see that we can be funny, being deaf can be funny.”

Reunion is available to watch every Monday and Tuesday from 7th April on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.