I'd love to have children. I'd like to be the birth mum I needed

Paralympian Ellie Simmonds tells HANNAH BRITT why she's determined to shine a light on adoption and disability, and why she is hoping to have a family of her own

WHEN Ellie Simmonds revealed in June she had been adopted as a baby, the Paralympic swimmer was praised for her bravery.

"I'm no longer carrying around this big secret with me," says Ellie, 29, winner of five Paralympic gold medals.

She retired from professional sport in 2021 and says: "I decided it was time to track down my birth mother." Her experience was then documented in the ITV show Finding My Secret Family.

"Adoption and disability is something not spoken about very much, I wanted to use my voice to start a conversation about it," she says. 

Ellie has dwarfism, described by the NHS as "restricted growth, a condition characterised by unusually short height".

She says: "I learned there's still this idea that people want a 'perfect' baby. When it comes to children with a disability, there are a lot of factors to consider, including hospital time and money.

"As a result, children with a disability are in the care system a lot longer. But when you have a child with a disability, the rewards are incredible. You're changing someone's life, you're giving them love. A child is a child no matter what they look like.