‘Strictly is so full-on – but I’m loving it!’

Paralympian Ellie Simmonds and Strictly pro Nikita Kuzmin talk about their gruelling schedule and pre-show nerves

- KATIE BEGLEY

We’re just a few weeks into this year’s Strictly Come Dancing and already former Paralympian swimmer Ellie Simmonds has thrilled fans and impressed the judges with her performances alongside pro partner Nikita Kuzmin.

At 27, Ellie already has an impressive list of achievements to her name. She was the youngest British athlete at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, where she won two gold medals at the age of just 13, and a year later she was the youngest ever person to be awarded an MBE.

She happily signed up to Strictly with the support of her partner, Matt Dean, and has been loving her time on the show with Ukrainian dancer Nikita, 24, even if the gruelling schedule means she’s feeling some strain.

“I’m feeling it today and yesterday was tough,” she says. “My knees and my legs – I’m feeling muscles that I’ve never, ever felt before.”

We caught up with Ellie and Nikita to find out how Strictly compares to competing in the Olympics and how it feels to be breaking boundaries...

Hi Ellie! How are you finding the Strictly experience?

Ellie: I’m loving it! I’m loving every single minute of every single day. It feels like it’s only just started, yet we’ve been in it for some weeks now.

How do you adapt your dances to accommodate the height difference between you?