Ellie Simmonds has teased a huge career move in the new year (Image: Adam Gerrard / SUNDAY MIRROR)
Former star has teased a major career U-turn after dominating our screens on the beloved dance competition.
The retired Paralympic swimmer – who has teamed up with SHEBA for their Hope Grows programme – wowed viewers on the famous dancefloor back in 2022 with her professional dance partner Nikita Kuzmin.
Despite being eliminated from the competition in week seven, she joined the star-studded cast on the nationwide tour in the new year.
Since her success on the primetime show, the 30-year-old athlete has hardly left out screens, starring on a series of impressive TV shows over the past 12 months.
This included her impressive win on Cooking with the Stars and even providing commentary this year’s Olympic and Paralympic games alongside Claire Balding and Rose Ayling-Ellis.
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Last year, the Paralympian released a documentary surrounding her adoption (Image: ITV)
Now, the TV star has teased a major career U-turn after jumping ship from to ITV in the new year. Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, she teased: “At the moment I’m focusing more on TV stuff, I love doing Lorraine as well.
“I really enjoy interviewing with them and get the opportunities that I get with that show as well. I’ve been able to do lots of VTs for Lorraine and I think I really, really enjoy being part of that show and doing those types of things.
“Yesterday we got to interview the finalists of Strictly. We’ve got another piece we filmed last week but that’s not coming out until next year. So yeah, I really enjoyed doing that.”
Ellie added that she hopes to work on more documentaries in the new year following the success of her ITV documentary Finding My Secret Family. She explained: “For me, now I just want to focus on documentaries and interviewing.
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She teamed up with SHEBA to raise awareness for ocean conservation (Image: Getty Images)
“We got the incredible opportunity to do a documentary about my adoption and my family and my journey, and talking about disability in the care system, in adoption, in fostering.
“Getting a BAFTA for that was a highlight of my career since retiring, so to do more documentaries is something I really would love to do more of, so that’s what I’m focusing on at the moment.”
This month Ellie teamed up with SHEBA Hope Grows to help restore coral reefs and preserve oceans for generations to come. The beloved swimer jetted Down Under to help the world’s largest restoration programme at the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, Australia.
Speaking about the initiative, she said: “Although the world’s reefs feel so far away from the UK, the impacts of climate change affect our entire planet, whether it be through changing weather patterns or the loss of coral reefs, we must do more to give nature a chance to adapt and resist these changes.
“Preserving our oceans is something I have always been passionate about, especially with the water being a big part of my life for many years. I’m thrilled to be joining forces with SHEBA Hope Grow programme again this year to show everyone a new story of hope.
“It’s incredible to see the power of reef stars and meet the team behind this small unique structure that has a big impact. Change can’t happen alone, it’s about the partnership between many organisations.
“It just goes to show how powerful we can be when we have a common goal – saving our oceans. Action taken to restore coral reefs today, helps to preserve our oceans for generations to come.”