Inside Ellie Simmonds’ love life as she considers starting a family – from ‘crush’ on Strictly pro to split from boyfriend

Ellie Simmonds fronts a new ITV documentary tonight, Should I Have Children?, where she explores the idea of starting a family – but following her split from her childhood sweetheart boyfriend, is she seeing anyone new?

Here’s an inside look at the Paralympic swimmer’s love life – from unrequited love for a Strictly pro to splitting from partner Matt…

Ellie Simmonds found fame as Paralympic swimmer, and she’s now a documentary maker (Credit: ITV)

Ellie Simmonds’ love life – romance with boyfriend Matt

In October 2023, it was revealed that Ellie Simmonds, 30, had split from her partner of “a couple of years”, Matt Dean.

Matt – who also has dwarfism – had known Ellie from childhood. Matt and Ellie met through swimming, with Ellie working with his parents, the Dwarf Sports Association co-founders Penny and Arthur Dean.

“I’ve known him forever,” she told Daily Mail in September 2022. “We were friends first and then we were more than friends.”

She added to The Sun: “We’ve been together a couple of years and just bought a house in South Manchester. We lived together during lockdown in London, so have become very used to living with each other.”

Addressing keeping their romance private, Ellie added: “It’s also nice that he’s not in that sporting world and we’re very private.  We don’t post anything on social media, or anything. Here I’m Ellie. I’m doing Strictly, doing media stuff, but at home I can just be away from all that.

“He’s just got a normal day-to-day job, and he’s grounded. I think you need that perspective in your life. He’s very chilled and that really helps me.”

Matt supported Ellie from the audience when she was on Strictly (Credit: BBC)

Matt persuaded Ellie to do Strictly

Ellie previously revealed it was Matt who convinced her to do Strictly.

“I was like shall I, shall I not. Then I spoke to my other half Matt, and he was like: ‘Go for it Ellie, take that leap of faith, you don’t know unless you try,'” she told The Sun at the time.

“Now I’m so happy I said yes. As soon as I did we were bouncing around the kitchen like yay! Like little buzzing bees,” she then added.

Matt supported Ellie from the audience in Week One. Speaking to host Claudia Winkleman after her dance, Ellie revealed Matt isn’t much of a cook.

Claudia said: “We have to mention your partner Matt because he’s never cooked before and now you’re doing Strictly, I believe he’s making you packed lunches, he’s making supper at night.”

Ellie replied: “He’s making everything, so yeah, he’s an alright cook.”

However, she then explained: “He needs to add the vegetables. He keeps forgetting the vegetables and is just giving me carbohydrates!”

Split from Matt

Sadly, in October 2023, it was revealed that the couple had split.

“Ellie and Matt have sadly split but it was amicable on both sides and there remains a lot of love there,” a source told The Sun at the time.

“They preferred to keep their relationship out of the public eye and it was the same with the break-up, but both are doing okay,” they then added.

It’s thought that following her split from Matt, Ellie is currently single.

Ellie and Nikita were on Strictly together (Credit: BBC)

Ellie Simmonds and her ‘crush’ on Strictly star

During her time on Strictly back in 2022, Ellie danced alongside Nikita Kuzmin.

The Paralympic swimmer revealed at the time that she had a big “crush” on the Ukrainian dancer.

She made the confession during a behind-the-scenes video about their training.

“I’ve got a big crush on him. His teeth are really, really nice, which they are,” she said.

Nikita and Ellie were the sixth couple to be eliminated that year.

Ellie meets families who have children with disabilities in her new documentary (Credit: ITV)

Ellie on having a baby

The Team GB athlete has also previously opened up about wanting to have children.

“I would like to have children in the future. As to whether the child would have dwarfism or be of average height, to the sports star it matters not a jot,” she told The Mirror back in 2022.

“What I do know is that I would love that child whatever, just as my parents loved me,” she then added. “You don’t know until you have a test, when that baby is growing inside you,”

Ellie was given up for adoption as a newborn baby after her birth mother was told people with her disability are often thought of as “evil”. Her birth mum also told how she wished that she’d had a termination or that Ellie had died.

In tonight’s show, Ellie will be seen exploring the idea of having a baby, and speaking to geneticists to find out the chances of her having a baby who also has dwarfism. She also speaks to her birth mother on the phone, asking what made her make the decision to give Ellie up for adoption.

Read more: Ellie Simmonds on ‘really quite traumatic’ reason her birth mother gave her up for adoption

Ellie Simmonds: Should I Have Children? is on ITV1 tonight (May 27) at 9pm.

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