Strictly Come Dancing champion Rose Ayling-Ellis will become the first celebrity on CBeebies to use British Sign Language when appearing on the bedtime story segment of the show.
The 27-year-old actress, who has been deaf since birth, will make her debut on CBeebies bedtime story segment, signing Can Bears Ski? for the lucky viewers, STV reports.
The actress, who found fame overnight as Frankie Lewis on popular BBC soap EastEnders, will read a story dedicated to the discovery and management of deafness at a young age.
READ MORE - Hairy Bikers Dave Myers announces he is battling cancer with '2022 a write off'
This will commemorate Deaf Awareness Week, running from May 2 till May 8, and the story will describe how isolating it can be for a deaf child in a world full of hearing people.
During her time on Strictly, Rose performed a powerful routine with partner Giovanni Pernice as they cut the music and danced in silence, to showcase what Rose feels when she is performing.
Speaking about her appearance on CBeebies, Rose said: "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.”
Can Bears Ski? will be the first ever BSL-signed story on CBeebies and it will see Ayling-Ellis speaking only to introduce the story and at the end of the programme to say goodnight to the young audience.
The story will also have subtitles.
Ayling-Ellis’ story will air on Sunday to mark the end of Deaf Awareness Week. It will be the first of two stories she has recorded for CBeebies.
CBeebies Bedtime Stories airs daily at 6.50pm, with episodes signed by a BSL interpreter shown every Saturday and Sunday.
