Eastenders actress and Strictly Come Dancing 2021 winner Rose Ayling-Ellis is appearing in a new Barbie campaign for their first ever doll with a hearing aid.
The Strictly Come Dancing 2021 winner, 27, features in the new Rose, Barbie and Friends campaign, which includes a number of other diverse dolls.
Ayling-Ellis appears in the campaign beside inspiring models Jamie, 17, a student with vitiligo, Renee, a model and paraplegic wheelchair user, and Faisha, a yoga teacher and model with a below-the-knee prosthetic limb.
This comes as the Mattel Barbie brand celebrates a broader view of beauty, enabling kids to play with more dolls that reflect themselves.
The actress said: “It’s so important for children to be able to see themselves represented in the toys they play with.
“When I was little, I would draw hearing aids onto my Barbie dolls to make them look like me, so I am thrilled that Mattel is releasing more dolls that encourage kids to celebrate and embrace their differences.”
Mattel also worked with and consulted experts in their fields on the new dolls to accurately portray the hearing aids.
Lisa McKnight, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Barbie and Dolls, Mattel, Inc. said: “It’s important for kids to see themselves reflected in product and to encourage play with dolls that don’t resemble them to help them understand and celebrate the importance of inclusion.”
The new Barbie dolls are on sale in the UK from Thursday, August 18.
