Paralympics 2024: Rose Ayling-Ellis becomes first deaf presenter of live sport

“My career so far has been quite mad, and this is another job for me to challenge myself really,” she continued.

“It is such a big challenge. No-one deaf has ever done this before. I think I’m addicted to being the first of doing something, and that is what I want to do.”

Ayling-Ellis said that, when she talks to the Paralympians, she does not “want it to become an inspirational story so everyone else feels better about their lives”.

“It’s for everyone to learn from and understand more about disability and that this is all just normal.”

Ayling-Ellis was also the first deaf person to deliver the Alternative MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh TV Festival, and helped launch the first deaf Barbie.

Last year, she made her West End debut in the Shakespearean romantic comedy As You Like It, being nominated for an Olivier Award for her performance.

Balding, who has presented Wimbledon and the Olympics this year, called the Paralympics the “peak of the summer of sport”.

She noted that a lot of live presenting is reliant on talkback, the system that allows directors and editors to communicate with on-screen presenters through an earpiece.

“So we’re finding different ways of doing things like that and it’s so important to take on that challenge and take new steps,” Balding said.

“When Paralympic athletes like Jonnie Peacock, Ellie Simmonds, Jodie Cundy or Lauren Steadman have appeared on Strictly, the first question has been ‘Well, how?’ And now, with Rose, [to] work on a live programme, you might say, ‘How is a deaf presenter going to?’

“We’re going to show you. We’re not going to tell you how, we’re going to show you.”

Channel 4’s coverage of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will begin with the opening ceremony on 28 August, with the closing ceremony on 8 September.