Rose Ayling-Ellis has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) for her outstanding contribution to the world of acting and campaigning for the deaf community.
The moment was made even more poignant because Rose graduated from UCA with a First in BA (Hons) Fashion Design in 2016. It was while studying at UCA that Rose acted with the Deafinitely Youth Theatre, before her breakout role in BBC’s Casualty and EastEnders, and winning Strictly Come Dancing.
The multi-award nominated actress, producer and now kids’ author is currently on our screens in ITV’s thriller Code of Silence, which she also executive produced. Taking on a lead role, as a deaf person, in a primetime drama for the first time.
And while her acting career goes from strength-to-strength with roles on stage and screen including Reunion with Anne-Marie Duff, Doctor Who and becoming the first deaf presenter of live sport at the 2024 Paralympic Games, it is also her advocacy work for the deaf community that UCA celebrated and recognised her for.
Rose importantly championed the British Sign Language (BSL) Act – giving it official language status – and often calls on the government to support disabled people better.
In 2025 Rose got the opportunity to produce the BBC documentary, Old Hands, New Tricks, in which she taught BSL to a group of retirement home residents aged between 65 and 95 years old. The show shared the importance of BSL and the significance of increasing awareness of deaf culture within our society.
In her acceptance speech, Rose said: “I really am very honoured to receive this, especially from the very University that I graduated from. Work hard and enjoy the ride. Congratulations to all of us.”
And as Rose fulfils a life-long ambition to become a children’s author, earlier this year publishing her first book Marvelous Messages, she leaves no stone unturned as she models a life without limits that people can look up to and emulate.
