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‘It’s sad and it touches you’: Ellie Simmonds reveals she’s ‘already’ trolled online after first performance on Strictly
- Paralympic swimmer, 27, has achondroplasia dwarfism, which causes normal-sized torso and short limbs
- She has partnered with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin
- As Britain’s youngest Paralympian to compete in the 2008 Beijing Games at the age of 13, Ellie Simmonds has made Strictly history
- She is the first person with dwarfism to compete, with the athlete saying for her appearance: ‘If I can do it, people can watch too’
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Ellie Simmonds has sadly revealed that she’s ‘already’ trolled online after her first performance on Saturday night’s Strictly Come Dancing.
The Paralympic swimmer, 27, has achondroplasia dwarfism, which leads to a normal-sized trunk and short limbs,
She had explained her fears of being in the dance and not getting votes for her Cha Cha Cha to dance by DNCE.
And despite receiving compliments from all four judges and earning 26 points in her first week, she felt deflated after seeing comments from trolls on social media.
Swimmer turned dancer: Ellie Simmonds sadly revealed she’s ‘already’ trolled online after her first performance on Saturday night’s Strictly Come Dancing
Ellie, who is six feet tall, said that despite being nervous and finding the competition tough so far, she wants to do it all over again.
She was concerned about signing up for the show, mainly because of the big height difference between her and partner Nikita Kuzmin – and what keyboard warriors might say about it.
She said The sun: ‘I’ve already had it. Some people have said, “How is the dwarf going to dance?” It’s sad and it touches you.’
Ellie told the publication that she was convinced to join the show with the help of her boyfriend Matt, who also has dwarfism.
Dancing all night: Paralympic swimmer, 27, had her fears of being in the dance and not getting votes for her Cha Cha Cha to dance by DNCE
As Britain’s youngest Paralympian to compete in the 2008 Beijing Games at the age of 13, Ellie Simmonds has also made Strictly history.
She is the first person with dwarfism to compete, with the athlete saying for her appearance, “If I can do it, people can watch too.”
And Ellie certainly made her community proud when she kicked and partnered Nikita Kuzmin from her Strictly campaign with an awesome Cha Cha Cha to Dance from DNCE.
Partners: She was concerned about signing up for the show, mainly because of the big height difference between her Nikita Kuzmin (left) – and what the keyboard might say about it
Anton shared his thoughts on her routine, saying, “You drove across the floor, you said, “Okay, here we go, have some of this”. Your side-by-side work was great, your timing was excellent. It was good.’
Craig agreed with his opponent as he shared, “I agree with Anton, the timing, your attitude, the rhythm, your isolation. It was amazing.’
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 participate in the dance show