Almost halfway there! Strictly Come Dancing has revealed the sixth contestant to be taking part in the hugely popular dancing competition, and we can’t wait to see if they have what it takes to go all the way in the competition!
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It was announced on BBC 5 Live Sunday Breakfast that Ellie Simmonds OBE will be taking part, and we’re excited to see their moves!
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Fans on Twitter were equally thrilled, with one person writing: "I love Ellie. Great booking," while another added: "She has the biggest and most beautiful smile she will bring pure joy to the dance floor. Good luck Ellie x."
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Ellie is best known as a gold medal-winning Paralympic swimmer. Speaking about her excitement about joining the Strictly family, she told the BBC: "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!!
Ellie is the sixth contestant to be announced
"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. I'm counting down the minutes until it starts; learning to dance, meeting my partner and everyone else involved in the show.
"Plus wearing the sequins and all that, It’s going to be a blast. I've been watching Strictly from as far back as I can remember; it’s a traditional lead-up to Christmas with my family and it’s a genuine privilege to be part of it."
At the age of 13 Ellie won two gold medals as the youngest British athlete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing. In 2012 she achieved gold another two gold medals at the Summer Paralympics in London and won further gold in Rio during the 2016 games.
She is a gold medallist
When she was 13 she also won BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year and a year later, she became the youngest person ever to receive an MBE. She was elevated to OBE in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to Paralympic sport.
Since retiring from competitive Ellie has gone on to present for BBC Sport, most recently for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, as well as making documentaries such as Ellie Simmonds: A World Without Dwarfism? for the BBC.
The star is set to join Will Mellor, Kym Marsh, Kaye Adams, Jayde Adams and Richie Anderson, who have all confirmed they were taking part in early August. Speaking about the opportunity, Kaye said: "I said I wanted to make the last year of my fifties memorable and I can’t think of a better way of doing it than showing the world my two left feet. Pray for me!"
Richie added: "This is a dream come true! I cannot wait to get in those sparkles and sequins and shimmy across the most famous dance floor in the world! Strictly is the ultimate feel-good show, as soon as I hear that iconic theme tune it’s just pure escapism."
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