Ellie Simmonds has been announced as the sixth celebrity contestant to join the lineup for Strictly Come Dancing 2022.
The retired athlete was ecstatic to confirm the news as she said: “Oh my gosh!! I’m literally bursting with excitement!! It’s been soooo hard keeping this secret as I’ve wanted to tell everyone.
"I’m going on Strictly Come Dancing!! I’m a tad nervous too, well more than a tad… I’m absolutely petrified!
"To be asked to be part of the Strictly family is just so exciting and I cannot wait, it’s going to so much fun."
Ellie will be the first person with dwarfism to ever join the Strictly lineup, and told the Mirror that it is "a real honour".
She said: “I am the first dwarf doing the show, I will show how positive that is, that to be different is OK. It is a real honour.”
As she gets ready to head to the Strictly ballroom, here's everything you need to know about who Ellie is and how many Paralympic medals she's won.
Strictly Come Dancing start date, line-up and everything you need to know
Who is Ellie Simmonds?
Ellie Simmonds is a gold medal winning Paralympic swimmer and broadcaster.
At just 13 years old, Ellie became the youngest British athlete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing.
She also represented Britain during the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London and at the 2016 games in Rio.
Ellie was crowned BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year when she was 13 and a year later she went on to become the youngest person ever to receive an MBE.
She was elevated to an OBE in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to Paralympic sport.
Ellie retired from swimming in 2020 and since then she has gone on to become a broadcaster.
She presents for BBC Sport and also makes her own documentaries and is soon set to explore disability and adoption in a recently announced ITV film.
How many Paralympic medals has Ellie Simmonds won?
Ellie Simmonds has won a total of eight medals across the four Paralympic games she competed in.
During her first Paralympic games in Beijing in 2008 she won gold in both the 100m and 400m freestyle.
In the London 2012 games Ellie took home four medals, including two golds in the 400m freestyle and the 200m individual medley, a silver in the 100m freestyle and a bronze in the 50m freestyle.
During her last Paralympic games in Rio in 2016, the super swimmer won a gold and a bronze medal for the 200m individual medley and the 400m freestyle.
In the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics Ellie unfortunately failed to take home any medals and retired after the tournament as she insisted: “I am leaving it at the right time. I love it. I've had a wonderful competition and I've loved every minute of it.”
