Rose Ayling-Ellis struggled to keep her Doctor Who role a secret
Rose Ayling-Ellis couldn't help but tell her parents that she had a landed a part in 'Doctor Who' even though she was asked to keep her involvement a secret.
Rose Ayling-Ellis ignored requests to keep her role in 'Doctor Who' a secret.
The 30-year-old actress appears in this weekend's episode of the BBC sci-fi show as a character called Aliss and revealed that she couldn't help but tell her parents when she landed the part.
Rose is quoted by the Daily Star newspaper's Hot TV column as saying: "I told my parents right away, and I trust them completely. I held off telling friends (though) because I wanted to surprise them."
The former 'EastEnders' star admits that her role in 'Doctor Who' is the realisation of a dream as she is a life-long fan of the programme and expressed her gratitude towards casting director Andy Pryor.
Rose said: "Andy Pryor, the casting director, has been a big supporter of mine for years. He really believed in me and championed me for the role.
"I've always wanted to be a part of the show, and to land a complex, layered character like (this) made it even more exciting."
The 2021 'Strictly Come Dancing' winner enjoyed getting the chance to act alongside Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor and Varada Sethu's companion Belinda Chandra.
She said: "They were lovely - kind, supportive, and so much fun.
"We clicked straight away. (But) when it's time to work, they're completely focused."
Rose's alter ego Aliss is a determined mother in search of her daughter in an alien world and she previously teased that she had to undergo a "gross" transformation for the part.
Speaking to BBC Radio 2 recently, she said: "Well, they're keeping it so top secret, and it's episode three, but you've seen the picture of me - there's one photo - and I got painted-on eyebrows, I look like a mess, I've got greasy hair.
"Like I never felt so gross in my whole life, acting for the whole month!"
Rose has been deaf since birth and felt that it "made sense" for Aliss to be likewise in 'Doctor Who'.
She said: "It was never written as a deaf person in the first place. That's what made it exciting: it became about the character but still, it makes sense for her to be deaf... The people coming in are all hearing - so there's always that little sense of distrust in people.
"Deaf people really know what it feels like to not be included in conversation all the time. And that builds up frustration more and more."
