Ellie Simmonds urges Strictly Come Dancing stars to 'enjoy every single second'

Ellie Simmonds has urged the new 'Strictly Come Dancing' cast to "enjoy every single second.

The Paralympic swimmer turned TV presenter - who has won five gold medals at the Paralympic Games - took part in the twentieth series of the ‘BBC’ dance competition in 2022. and she had a few words for the celebrities taking part in the show this year.

She told new! magazine: “They should enjoy every second of it because once you get called up and have your press shots, the meet the hair and make up team your professional dancer - by week 13 it’s flown by.

“It’s an amazing experience and my advice would be to take in all the make up, glamorous hair and costumes.

“Cherish the friendships that you make and take lots of photos.”

She and her pro partner Nikita Kuzmin were the sixth pair to be eliminated from the competition, while Ellie was the first contestant with dwarfism to ever appear on ‘Strictly.’

Reflecting on her time on the show, she shared that she felt more nervous participating in the BBC competition than she did competing as a Paralympic athlete. because she was so far out of her comfort zone.

She added: “I think I was more nervous for ‘Strictly’ because swimming is a sport I do every single day. Even though, yes, I was nervous about swimming, I had that confidence and It was something I could do well.

“Whereas going on that dance floor and knowing 10 million people are watching you felt way more nerve-wrecking. You’ve got the judges and you’ve got to remember whole routines while trying to dance as well.”

The new series will get underway this month, with the likes of Olympic swimmer Tom Dean and 'EastEnders' actor Jamie Borthwick joined by opera singer Wynne Evans, 'Love Island' star Tasha Ghouri and TOWIE's Pete Wicks.