Yahoo News Casualty star Rosie Jones opens up on the importance of her character for disability representation
Comedian and actress Rosie Jones, who plays Paula Kettering in BBC's Casualty, has opened up about the need for disability representation.
Rosie joined the soap in February 2021, and her character Paula is disabled, which leads to some heartbreaking storylines involving social services that are very important to the actress.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Rosie said: "Paula's not perfect. She has flaws, she's stubborn, the story is showing that disabled people can be three... well they are always three- dimensional and I feel like playing Paula meant showing there are millions of disabled people who, like her disability, they are underestimated and treated awfully by the services and the system and the government."
Related: The Last Leg star Rosie Jones hits back at abuse after Question Time appearance
"This needs to change. I think it's important to know this is definitely something that disabled mums have to go through," Rosie continued, referring to the storyline where Paula's pregnant and fighting to keep her child.
"We need to raise awareness about how there is still stigma with disabled mothers."
In Rosie's first episode as Paula, her character explained that her benefits had been cut and, after social services discovered her pregnancy, they are threatening to take her baby away.
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Though Paula has tried to get social services to see that she can take care of her child, regardless of her disability, they don't seem receptive to the prospect.
"It's showing that just because a woman has a disability and unfortunately a problematic past, she can get better, it's just sad that the services don't believe it," Rosie added.
Rosie is a comedian, writer, and actress who regularly discusses ableism and disability inequality, particularly on The Last Leg or on Question Time. It is her hope that playing Paula will encourage change in how people treat disabled people in the UK.
Casualty airs on Saturdays on BBC One.
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