Strictly Come Dancing
Saturday, 6.45pm, BBC1 Entertainment
Stepping out to perform with their pro partners for the first time, the celebrities will be waltzing, whirling and wiggling their behinds live in the studio as they hope to catch the judges’ eyes. There’s no elimination in this first week of competition and the scores will carry over to the following week.
Ellie Simmonds is a Paralympic champion with five gold medals and 14 World Championship titles to her name. And now she’s looking to add a Glitterball to her trophy cabinet as she switches the pool for the ballroom on Strictly Come Dancing!
‘I’m used to having my hair wet, wearing a swimming costume, no make-up, and smelling of chlorine, but I’m loving all the glamour, costumes and sequins on Strictly,’ delights Ellie, who was born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism.
And she hopes to make the dwarfism community proud in the first live show.
‘Strictly Come Dancing has done amazing things in raising awareness of disability by having Eastenders’ Rose Ayling-ellis and Paralympic athletes Will Bayley, Jonnie Peacock and Lauren Steadman on the show and this is a chance for me to be there for the dwarfism community,’ says Ellie, who hopes her time on Strictly will inspire others…
Celebration
‘Things are getting better in terms of representation of those with disabilities on TV. Hopefully people will see me on Strictly and think: “If she can dance, I can, too.”
‘You want to show people it’s not just about 6ft models. It helps everyone to see that we’re all different, so let’s celebrate that!’