The EastEnders actor Rose Ayling-Ellis is to make television history as Strictly Come Dancing‘s first ever deaf contestant.

The 26-year-old, who is the 12th celebrity to be confirmed for the new series, also broke new ground last year when she became the first deaf actor to play a deaf character on the soap, as Frankie Lewis.

Following the announcement on Thursday night, Ayling-Ellis said she was elated to compete in the BBC One show but admitted it was also “a little bit scary”.

“It is the hardest secret I have ever had to keep, so it feels amazing to finally have this out in the open,” she said.

“I hope I will do the deaf community proud and break down more barriers. But I am also very excited to learn an incredible new skill and, even better, I get to learn whilst wearing beautiful dresses made especially for me.”

Ayling-Ellis’s previous TV work includes BBC Two’s cold war drama Summer of Rockets, alongside Keeley Hawes and Toby Stephens, and Casualty.

Earlier this year she talked about how when she was growing up she always loved the arts but she never saw any deaf people on television, “so I never thought it would be possible to have a job, for me to do that”.

She decided to do acting as a hobby and her TV career “happened by accident” when she met a deaf director who wanted to make a short film.

Leading deaf charities said her appearance on Strictly will mark an important moment for on-screen representation, and called for more deaf characters and performers on television to help “inspire the next generation”.

Rosie Eggleston, the participation manager at the National Deaf Children’s Society, said: “We’re really excited to see Rose joining Strictly and the show’s deaf young fans will be absolutely thrilled too.

“Almost all deaf children and young people are born to hearing parents, and many are the only deaf person in their school or college, so they often struggle to meet others going through the same experiences. Seeing deaf people on major TV shows reminds them that they’re not alone because there are other people out there just like them.”

Annie Roberts, an advocacy officer at the RNID charity, said it will also help make deaf people’s lives “more visible and understood” and challenge “outdated stereotypes”.

“We hope that Rose’s appearance will challenge the notion that deaf people can’t engage with the rhythm of different dances or adapt themselves to the musicality of the performances,” she said.

In another first for Strictly this autumn, which will mark its 19th series, The Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite is to compete in the show’s first all-male partnership.

The 33-year-old chef will be the second same-sex pairing after the boxer Nicola Adams competed with the professional dancer Katya Jones last year. Whaite said it was “a great step forward in representation and inclusion”.

As well as Whaite, Ayling-Ellis will also face competition from contestants including the actress Nina Wadia, Tilly Ramsay, the daughter of the chef Gordon Ramsay, the actor Greg Wise, who played Lord Mountbatten in The Crown, the presenter AJ Odudu and the Peep Show star Robert Webb. Three contestants are yet to be named.