Rose Ayling-Ellis was moved to tears during her BBC documentary Old Hands, New Tricks, as she empathised with an elderly resident's experience of loneliness. The deaf actor and Strictly Come Dancing champion is on a mission to teach sign language to a retirement community in Buckinghamshire. The community is home to over 300 older people, with an average age of 80, making it the ideal location for the 30-year-old's passion project.

Despite initial difficulties recruiting residents for her project, Rose eventually found a group of eager participants aged between 70 and 102, some of whom are experiencing hearing loss. To kickstart her project, Rose enlisted the help of charismatic teacher Marios Costi. The project didn't get off to the smoothest start, with only five out of eight signed-up residents attending Rose and Marios' first class. However, as word spread, more people signed up to learn sign language.

The classes began with finger spelling the alphabet before progressing to more complex tasks. Alongside teaching, Rose also got to know members of the group and their emotional backstories, one of which moved her to tears.

During a conversation with resident Karen, Rose became visibly emotional as they discussed loneliness. Karen has been living in the village for six years, having moved there after the death of her husband David, just a month shy of their 50th wedding anniversary.

“I feel sad sometimes that he’s not here,” Karen confessed. “When I come up here and I'm on my own, then I can cry,” she admitted, her voice breaking with emotion.

Rose highlighted Karen’s previously sociable nature before adding: “What a lot of people don't realise is that you come back and you feel lonely on your own.”

The star empathised, sharing: "As a deaf person as well, sometimes I go to work and I have a face on that I'll look like I know what's going on all the time and make it look easy. But I go home on my own too,” she revealed, visibly moved.

“I really feel so passionate about sign language because I feel like that’s the way I get to interact with the deaf community, and I don’t feel lonely. And I just don't want anyone to feel lonely; that’s why I’m on a mission."

In another poignant moment, Rose discovers that her classmate Eric cares for his wife June, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, when he’s not in class. He confided in Rose his concerns about leaving her alone.

"They’ve always done everything together. My dad finds it hard now as that’s his soul mate, and she's not quite how she was,” their daughter shared.