The five-time Paralympic gold-medallist athlete Ellie 27, and the BBC program’s the first participant with a disability such as dwarfism she had the audience up in their seats with an lively cha-cha-cha dance performed by the DNCE on Monday. Her parents Steve and Val confessed to being apprehensive at first when she spoke to they she had signed up for the show. Ellie Simmonds’ parents and family. “We were very happy for her but also a little concerned as to how she would deal with the intensity of it, especially if she does well and stays in a long time,” Steve said to The Mirror.
“But deep down there was a real sense of pride in the fact that, once more, she was breaking down barriers and showing that anything is possible.”
He was elated by her daughter’s enthusiasm and said: “Eleanor has been uncompromising about her beliefs in her own self and who she is.
“We’ve always said to her that she is able to do whatever she likes and Strictly is the latest example of her reviving that idea.
“Doing so and continuing to behave in the honest and open way that she does is a constant source of pride for us.”
After her performance with Nikita Kuzmin, her partner Nikita Kuzmin, Ellie said: “I was very anxious. It was very difficult, but I’d love to do this again.”
She received high praise from the judges in the very first live broadcast on the program.
Judge head Shirley Ballas gave an ovation standing up following Ellie’s dancing.
She added: “Your timing was beautiful. You clearly have a musical flair. It was fantastic.”
The judge who was with you Anton du Beke commented: “That was marvellous, amazing performance. You were a hammer across the floor, and your timing was superb.”
After receiving a number of 26, Ellie was asked: “Can I do it again?”
Her nerves were evidently wrong, since even the typical sensitive judge Craig Revel Horwood declared that she had “fantastic rhythm”.
Ellie 27 has Achondroplasia. It’s a kind of dwarfism that causes shorter limbs and a normal-sized torso which caused an unimaginable amount of frustration as she was growing to.
Ellie has performed to her own way into hearts of the nation — even though she was initially apprehensive about registering to perform on the show.
She was concerned about how the difference in height in her companion could work and she was afraid that- justifiably — she would be trolled.
The star of the sport stated:
“I’ve had it already. People have asked”How is the dwarf going to get up and dance?’ That’s depressing and it can get at you.”
