Nothing will stop me

Ellie Simmonds

on Strictly, says

With a standing ovation and glowing comments from the judges, Ellie Simmonds cha-cha-chaed her way into the Strictly history books on the first episode of the latest series.

She is the show’s first contestant with dwarfism, and after her dance with ­partner Nikita Kuzmin,  the five-times Paralympian champ said: “It was so tough but I want to do it again.”

Ellie, 27, has achondroplasia, a type of dwarfism that results in short limbs and a normal-sized torso and she admits she was initially nervous about signing up for the show.

She was worried about the height difference between her and her partner, and feared she might get trolled. She said: “Some people  have said, ‘How’s the dwarf going  to dance?’”.

She said: "When I got the call I did wonder whether I should do it." Her boyfriend, Matt, who also has dwarfism, helped convince her, telling her to "Go for it".

Competitive Ellie has always thrived on a challenge, becoming Britain’s youngest ever Paralympian when she competed at Beijing in 2008 aged just 13, taking home two gold medals.

After years in sweatpants and swimming costumes, Ellie is thrilled by the glitz and glamour, and says she wants the team to “bring it on”.