Strictly Come Dancing's Rose Ayling-Ellis to sign on CBeebies Bedtime Stories

Strictly Come Dancing champion Rose Ayling-Ellis has confirmed she set to star on CBeebies Bedtime Stories to tell a story with sign language. 

Rose Ayling-Ellis captivated audiences when she won Strictly Come Dancing 2021. Now, the EastEnders actress has confirmed that she will be appearing on CBeebies Bedtime Stories in a very special way.

Rose will be signing Can Bears Ski? by Raymond Atrobus and Polly Dunbar, which follows a young bear and his father on their journey into the discovery and management of deafness. 

The story is based on the author's own experiences as a deaf child growing up in a hearing world. Rose spoke out on the BBC about reading the book, explaining, "I am super excited to read my first CBeebies Bedtime Story in British Sign Language and it’s even more wonderful to share a story written by a deaf writer. I hope deaf children enjoy the story and it inspires hearing children to want to learn BSL more!" 

When is Rose Ayling-Ellis on CBeebies Bedtime Stories? 

Rose will appear on CBeebies Bedtime Stories on Sunday May 8th at 6:50pm. Rose will only speak to introduce the story and say goodbye in the episode, which will be broadcast on Sunday, May 8th to mark the completion of Deaf Awareness Week. 

Rose's fans were thrilled by the lovely news, taking to social media to congratulate her.

"Such an inspirational young lady," one wrote.

"Looking forward to this. What a lovely girl. Always makes me smile ❤️," added another, while a third agreed, chipping in to say, "We cannot wait for this, love Rose and love this story. Thank you @cbeebieshq for sharing the importance of Deaf Awareness Week."