Ellie Simmonds won five Paralympic gold medals and set a world swimming record. Now she’s competing in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing. “Oh my gosh, I was so excited to be asked to be part of Strictly,” she exclaims. “When I found out, I was so happy I was bouncing.” Better than all the medals? “Up there, yeah,” she says, giggling.
Having been born with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism, Simmonds, 27, is 4ft tall. What everyone wants to know — bluntly — is how will she and her professional dance partner (as yet not allocated) make the height difference work? “We’ll talk about it,” she says with a shrug. “It’s all new, probably for my partner and for me,