Rose Ayling-Ellis pleads 'I hope this is not the end' with Strictly co-star

Strictly Come Dancing winner and now Channel 4 Paralympics host Rose Ayling-Ellis has made an announcement about her future after signing off for the last time on the channel's sports coverage.

The hearing impaired former Eastenders star and Strictly Come Dancing winner with Giovanni Pernice in 2021 today put out an emotional statement about her time hosting the Paralympic Games.

For the past few weeks, Rose has been fronting the coverage of the Games with Clare Balding as well as another former Strictly Come Dancing star.

Rose gave a shout out to Ellie Simmonds for being 'such a sweetheart' and said she made her feel 'comfortable and safe' alongside her.

But Rose is now pushing for her time on hosting duties to lead to more opportunities for deaf people on live TV.

Posting on Instagram, she said: "Paralympics 2024 in Paris have come to an end. It has been brilliant, and I loved co-presenting with Batman @clarebalding. What she does behind the scenes is insane, and as a nation, we are so lucky to have her on our screens.

"@elliesimmonds is such a sweetheart. Her knowledge is so impressive, and she always shares it with such elegance.

"I always felt comfortable and safe sitting alongside them, which is so important because I definitely did something that was out of my comfort zone.

"I couldn't have done this without my interpreter team - Rebecca, Tobi, and Kirsty "my earpieces lady". I couldn't do my job if they didn't do what they did.

"Thank you to @channel4 @wearewhispertv @angustvman for providing the tools to show that deaf people can do live TV. I hope this is not the end, and we will continue seeing more deaf people breaking the barriers of what is possible. Inclusivity is everyday life, not once every four years. That is what the Paralympics have always stood for.

Now I'm going to wrap myself in a duvet, watch movies, sleep and eat crisps. I'm dead now."

BBC's Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday on BBC One.