Ellie Simmonds says she's been trolled online after her Strictly dance

2022-09-26

‘It’s sad and it does get to you’: Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds – the first person to compete on show with dwarfism – reveals she has ‘already’ been trolled online after first performance on Strictly

The Paralympic swimmer, 27, has achondroplasia dwarfism which causes a normal sized torso and short limbs
She has been partnered up with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin
As Britain’s youngest Paralympian, entering the Beijing 2008 games aged just 13, Ellie Simmonds has made Strictly history
She is the first person with dwarfism to take part, with the athlete stating ahead of her appearance: ‘If I can do it, people watching can too’

Ellie Simmonds has sadly revealed that she has ‘already’ been trolled online following her first performance on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night.

The Paralympic swimmer, 27, has achondroplasia dwarfism which causes a normal sized torso and short limbs,

She had detailed her fears of being in the dance off and getting no votes ahead of her Cha Cha Cha to Dance by DNCE.

And despite getting compliments from all four judges and gaining 26 points on her first week – she was left feeling deflated after seeing comments from trolls on social media.

Swimmer turned dancer: Ellie Simmonds has sadly revealed that she has ‘already’ been trolled online following her first performance on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night

Ellie, who stands at 4ft tall, said that despite being nervous and finding the competition tough so far, she wants to do it all over again.

She was worried about signing up for the show, particularly because of the big height difference between her and partner Nikita Kuzmin – and what keyboard warriors might have to say about it.

She told The Sun: ‘I’ve had it already. Some people have said, “How’s the dwarf going to dance?” It’s sad and it does get to you.’

Ellie told the publication that she was convinced to take part in the show with the help of her boyfriend Matt, who also has dwarfism.

Dancing the night away: The Paralympic swimmer, 27, had detailed her fears of being in the dance off and getting no votes ahead of her Cha Cha Cha to Dance by DNCE

As Britain’s youngest Paralympian, entering the Beijing 2008 games aged just 13, Ellie Simmonds has also made Strictly history.

She is the first person with dwarfism to take part, with the athlete stating ahead of her appearance: ‘If I can do it, people watching can too.’

And Ellie for sure made her community proud as she kicked and partner Nikita Kuzmin off her Strictly campaign with a great Cha Cha Cha to Dance by DNCE.

Partners: She was worried about signing up for the show, particularly because of the big height difference between her Nikita Kuzmin (left) – and what keyboard might have to say about it

Sharing his thoughts on her routine, Anton said: ‘You powered across the floor, you went, “OK, here we go, have some of this”. Your side-by-side work was great, your timing was excellent. It was good.’

With Craig agreeing with his co-star as he shared ‘I have to agree with Anton, the timing, your attitude, the rhythm, your isolation. It was excellent.’

While Motsi added: ‘I absolutely love this team. What I love is this focus, you understand what the dance was about. Allow yourself to enjoy it even more. I loved it.’

Saturday night fever: As Britain’s youngest Paralympian, Ellie Simmonds has also made Strictly history as the first person with dwarfism to take part in the dance show

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