Rosie Jones is more confident than ever before: she’s making her younger self proud by writing children’s books and creating ripples of belly laughter on a scale she never thought possible. But there is still a ceiling.
The beloved stand-up comedian, 34, has achieved a huge amount despite her cerebral palsy disability – with more success than most able-bodied comics could fathom, having frequently appeared on TV shows including Would I Lie to You? and with a stand-up career that’s bulldozing into the mainstream.
But Rosie is the exception: she has thrived in a world that’s inherently against her.
‘I think disability is the minority group that has the furthest to go in terms of equality,’ Rosie says in an exclusive chat with .
Take Strictly Come Dancing: a show that Rosie wanted to be a part of, but can’t – because it isn’t ready for her yet.
‘[Going on Strictly Come Dancing] is a thought I have had before this current chaos, but no,’ she replies, when asked whether she would appear on the show given all the recent controversies surrounding it.
‘I watch Strictly every year and it really feels like a staple of our society, and they have become more diverse, but I do think in terms of disability there’s still a disparity.
‘I can’t imagine being part of that, and being treated like an equal to all the other dancers, because even though I’ve got rhythm – I can dance, I can bust some moves – in terms of technicality, you’ve got to admit that my body physically cannot do that of a non-disabled person’s body and I wouldn’t want the judges to patronise me.
‘For me, even though I was a fan, I don’t know if we’re in a place of complete inclusivity when it comes to the show.’
The current disparity isn’t a hurdle confined to the Strictly ballroom, Rosie thinks, but is a ‘wider problem’ in our country that is yet to be fully addressed.
‘I think you could say it about other TV shows, but also society in general when it comes to disability, it is the hardest minority to get inclusivity because if you want more women, if you want more non-white people, if you want more queer people, you just employ them,’ Rosie says.
‘You don’t really need to change anything. Whereas if you want to include disabled people in a show or workforce, what’s the building like? Is it accessible? What are the working hours? Can they be adapted to a specific person? What happens if the person’s disability fluctuates day to day? Are you about to work around a certain person’s individual needs?’
Change begins with a conversation.
‘It starts with a willingness to be open, and to learn and adapt to an individual’s needs,’ Rosie says. ‘Fundamental things in society need to structurally change.’
While Rosie campaigns on behalf of disabled people every time she gets up on stage and appears on TV – and must endure vile online trolling as a result – she’s taking even bigger strides to instigate change.
Her new children’s book Moving On Up! encapsulates this step. Ever since she was a little girl, Rosie has always said she wanted to be a children’s author because she never saw herself in books growing up.
‘I adored reading. I read everything, but I never saw a character with a disability and that made me so sad and so angry because people didn’t think my story was worth telling,’ she recalls.
Rosie wrote the book with 10-year-old her in mind, and hopes it can be the voice of a big sister for children who feel different.
‘The chapter I needed growing up was about feeling different because especially when you’re a child it feels like the one thing you need to do is fit in and not be the odd one out.
‘For me, being disabled and secretly having feelings for other girls and wondering if I was gay was terrifying. I would have done anything to be just one of the crowd.
‘But writing a chapter about owning your difference, owning your individuality – because ultimately that will make you brilliant and wonderful, and a person that you were always meant to be – is incredible.
‘So if I’d had a chapter like that when I was little it really would have changed how I thought about myself for the better.’
While growing up people didn’t think Rosie’s story was worth telling, everyone is following it now.
The star, who admits her career is ‘going alright’ – ha! – is taking her show Triple Threat to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe for a two-night run, in what will be an emotional final two performances of this specific set.
Rosie never thought she’d have this life.
‘For me, growing up all the comedians I saw on TV were white, straight, non-disabled men. I never saw a place in that world for me.
‘But as I grew older and became more confident in who I was, I knew I just had to give it a go because I would have always regretted it if I didn’t. So I tried it out and so far it’s gone alright.’
At 34, it’s clear Rosie is thriving having beaten the odds and paved her way to the forefront of the stand-up comedy world with all those able-bodied men.
‘I turned 30 in lockdown and almost overnight I shed all of that worry about what people thought of me, whether I was doing alright in my career, what my future would look like, and that’s only grown year-on-year,’ she says.
‘I started therapy two years ago as well, and that was a huge thing in accepting who I am and realising I no longer needed to be who people thought I needed to be. I could just be myself.
‘I’m surrounded by so many amazing friends and family, doing a job that I just can’t get enough of. I’m living the dream. But more importantly, I love who I am. That gives you all the confidence in the world.’