WITH a standing ovation and glowing feedback from the judges, Ellie Simmonds cha-cha-chaed her manner into the Strictly historical past books on Saturday.
She is the present’s first contestant with dwarfism, and there was one other memorable second for the 4ft swimmer — her first time in excessive heels.
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After her dance with companion Nikita Kuzmin, the five-times Paralympian champ mentioned: “I used to be so nervous. It was so powerful however I need to do it once more.”
And Ellie’s nerves have been clearly misplaced, as even usually choosy decide Craig Revel Horwood gushed that she has “implausible rhythm”.
As for the heels, she had taken no possibilities, revealing that she had received used to them by carrying them whereas doing duties round the home.
She mentioned: “This morning I used to be carrying them in whereas brushing my tooth. I by no means usually try this.”
Ellie, 27, has achondroplasia, a sort of dwarfism that leads to brief limbs and normal-sized torso, and it led to 1 specific frustration when she was rising up.
She mentioned: “As a young person, I all the time needed greater toes. I’m a dimension two to 3, and there’s not a lot alternative for sneakers this small.
“They have been made for youths, with butterflies or fairy lights. I needed sneakers that regarded appropriate for adults.
“It by no means received me upset although. I by no means cried, it was simply a part of rising up.”
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And now Ellie has danced her manner into the nation’s hearts — though she admits she was initially nervous about signing up for the present.
She was fearful about how the peak distinction between her and her companion would work, and feared — justifiably — she would possibly get trolled.
She mentioned: “I’ve had it already. Some folks have mentioned, ‘How’s the dwarf going to bop?’ It’s unhappy and it does get to you.”
An accessibility tour of the Strictly studios in Elstree, Herts satisfied Ellie to develop into the present’s seventh contestant with a incapacity.
She mentioned: “After I received the decision I did ponder whether I ought to do it.
Then I assumed I’d do a leap of religion. You don’t know till you attempt.”
Her boyfriend Matt, who additionally has dwarfism, helped to persuade her.
The pair have been collectively for 2 years and have simply purchased a home collectively in Cheshire.
She mentioned: “He was like, ‘Go for it, you don’t know until you attempt’. Now I’m so pleased I mentioned sure.”
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Aggressive Ellie has all the time thrived on a problem, turning into Britain’s youngest ever Paralympian when she competed at Beijing in 2008 aged simply 13, taking house two gold medals.
And having stop swimming after the Tokyo video games in 2021, she was able to attempt one thing new, admitting that she had felt misplaced since leaving her sport.
She mentioned: “I’ve been swimming on the crew since I used to be 12. The one factor I’ve identified is being an athlete and that construction and routine.
“I’d misplaced my large id and the aim that I’d had for thus a few years.”
And Strictly means not only a new id — however a complete new look too.
After years in sweatpants and swimming costumes, Ellie is thrilled by the glitz and glamour, and says she desires the crew to “convey it on”.
However she admits she has physique hangups too, and mentioned: “I’ve usually placed on weight since retiring final yr.
“Being an athlete and being a girl, you’re very acutely aware of your physique and the insecurities of that, so I used to be pondering going into Strictly, ‘I need to cowl the whole lot up’.
“However then after I was making an attempt the costumes on I ended up making an attempt the crop tops and stuff, and I used to be like, ‘Oh my god, I like this!’”
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Whereas Ellie could face totally different challenges from the remainder of the superstar solid along with her routines, she isn’t fearful about being pitted towards able-bodied opponents.
It was how her swimming profession began when she was simply 5 years outdated.
Because the youngest of 5, she regarded as much as her siblings — of whom solely sister Katie additionally has achondroplasia — and was decided to beat them at the whole lot.
The household house in Walsall had an outside swimming pool, which her mum Val mentioned she was barely ever out of as a result of she was “born to swim”.
She was quickly competing at Boldmere Swimming Membership in close by Sutton Coldfield, the place she took on able-bodied rivals till it stopped being an choice when she was eight.
Simply two years later she was scouted by UK Sport and chosen to coach for the nationwide crew, resulting in the tough resolution to separate her household throughout the nation.
It by no means received me upset although. I by no means cried, it was simply a part of rising up
Ellie Simmonds
Ellie and her mum spent Monday to Friday in Swansea, so she might practice with the Workforce GB squad, then every weekend they drove the three hours house to be with the household.
Ellie mentioned: “It was a giant sacrifice my mother and father made for nearly six years.
“Mum set us up in a bit home to retain as a lot normality as doable, nevertheless it was actually powerful being separated.”
However the transfer, Ellie insists, was her alternative and was not pressured on her by her mother and father, Val and Steve.
It led to her being the youngest particular person on the Paralympic Workforce GB.
Her triumph in Beijing propelled her to stardom, particularly when she burst into tears in her interview following her first gold medal win.
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Ellie went on to develop into the youngest ever recipient of an MBE at simply 14, the youngest particular person to guest-edit Radio 4’s Girls’s Hour and in 2013 after additional triumph at London 2012 she was awarded an OBE.
She credit her mother and father — neither of whom has dwarfism — along with her constructive perspective to life.
Ellie mentioned: “I’ve all the time been conscious of being shorter, however I felt as if I might do something.
I don’t bear in mind my mum and pa telling me something and so they definitely didn’t make any particular allowances for Katie and me.
“They mentioned if I needed to attain one thing I shouldn’t let it cease me.”
Whereas she has by no means let her incapacity maintain her again, her swimming profession nearly got here crashing to a halt, as a result of a bullying coach whereas she was coaching for the 2016 Rio Paralympic video games.
She mentioned: “I bear in mind I received IBS [irritable bowel syndrome] actually badly as a result of I used to be so burdened and I bear in mind crying over the telephone.
“There was a coach there who was not a pleasant man in any respect, he put the stress on us. And he knocked my confidence vastly and I’m lastly making an attempt to recover from it.”
In 2017 an unbiased investigation into bullying complaints from 13 swimmers discovered they’d confronted “unacceptable behaviours”, with one senior coach utilizing “abusive and derogatory language” to athletes.
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The influence on Ellie almost made her stop the game. She mentioned it along with her mother and father and agent, however was persuaded to go to the Video games
Though she gained gold and bronze medals, it was not a cheerful expertise. She mentioned: “I hated Rio and I hated the whole lot about it.”
Together with her self-confidence shot, and feeling “mentally and bodily exhausted”, Ellie took a yr out from swimming to go travelling, primarily on her personal.
In some international locations she discovered that she attracted consideration due to her dwarfism.
She mentioned: “You might be extra self-conscious in Thailand, Vietnam and Mexico, the place they’re extra and stare extra.
“I don’t take it in an excessive amount of, actually. In China they don’t thoughts getting their cameras out, however I attempt to flow.
“In international locations the place there’s not a lot incapacity seen on the streets, they need to know who you’re and what you’re doing.”
After her adventures world wide, Ellie returned to swimming with a brand new perspective that sport wasn’t “life or dying”.
And he or she hoped the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics would offer redemption after the challenges of Rio.
Poisonous teaching crew
However these video games ended up being postponed due to the pandemic, and once they have been moved to 2021, Ellie was unable so as to add to her eight-medal tally, and determined to retire, saying she was “leaving on the proper time”.
She added: “It’s been an incredible half to play in inspiring the subsequent technology and it makes me emotional to see the ladies, pondering that they have been impressed by me once they watched London 2012.
“Now they’re inspiring that subsequent technology so it’s superb nevertheless it’s not simply me, it’s everybody behind me and I’m simply so grateful for the whole lot.”
With Strictly, Ellie hopes to inspire a complete new viewers, following within the footsteps of Rose Ayling-Ellis in preventing for a extra inclusive world.
She mentioned: “If solely I had this as a toddler, watching somebody with dwarfism on a dancing present…It’s superb for incapacity illustration and transferring ahead.”
