Ellie Simmonds has heartbreaking call with birth mum in an ITV doc tonight
In a new ITV documentary, the swimming champion explores societal views of having children with a disability - and whether she should have kids herself
In a deeply personal journey on Ellie Simmonds: Should I Have Children?, on ITV1 tonight at 9pm, the former Paralympian swimmer explores the controversial views of having children with a disability - and whether she herself should have kids. Ellie was given up for adoption by her birth mother when she found out that Ellie had dwarfism, so it's a hugely confronting subject.
In the documentary, she speaks to parents who have faced these fraught decisions, and asks, What would she do? Ellie says: 'Being a 30-year-old woman, this is the time people think about starting a family. It's different because I'm living with a disability every single day so I know what it's like to be a disabled person. If you find out you've got a disabled baby, do people think they can't actually cope with it? 'Are they nervous? Do they want a picture-perfect baby?'
Meeting with doctors and geneticists, counsellors and expectant families facing life-changing decisions, Ellie asks big questions around prenatal testing and societal perceptions of disability. She meets Rosie and Lloyd, who discovered that their son Arlo had dwarfism at a 28 week scan.
Rosie says: 'I didn't know what dwarfism was. It was one of the hardest times of my life, I was so scared. As soon as he was Earth-side, it was totally eradicated.' The documentary ends with a moving phone call between Ellie and her birth mum, who admits: 'I remember thinking I can't cope. All I could see was your disability. The guilt is horrendous. You're a completely perfect person in every way. I think it was cowardly.'
*Ellie Simmonds: Should I Have Children is on ITV1 tonight (Tuesday 27 May) at 9pm
There's plenty more on TV tonight - here's the best of the rest..
BAKE OFF: THE PROFESSIONALS, CHANNEL 4, 8pm
The posh, upper crust cousin of Bake Off, this is the grown-up version that produces spectacular souffles instead of soggy bottoms. It's the contest that sees professionals fight to make the best foam or fondant with ever-incredible desserts. Ellie Taylor and Liam Charles welcome pastry chefs hailing from hotels, restaurants, patisserie shops and small ventures from around the UK, as they face testing challenges set by world-class top pâtissier experts, Benoit Blin and Cherish Finden.
First the chefs face a secret challenge but unlike any ever set before. Without a proper recipe to hand, they need to rely on pastry instinct, innate knowledge and teamwork to create one of Cherish's very own creations, the Apple Tin. For their second challenge, they must become masters of illusion with a food-and-drink-inspired showpiece with a hidden Victoria sandwich elevated to new heights. Expect towering creations, the occasional breakage and several raised eyebrows from the harsh judges.
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? BBC1, 9pm
It shouldn't come as a surprise that TV's top cupid has a war-time romance in his history. Matchmaking maitre d' and presenter Fred Sirieix returns to France to explore his family roots where he discovers an epic love story and ancestors who survived against the odds. He says: 'There are so many things that I don't know and I realise all those conversations I missed when I was a young boy. I didn't think to ask my grandparents about where we came from and what happened.'
In particular, Fred's mother's side is a mystery. The family story is that his maternal grandparents met during World War Two, when Fred's grandfather Rene was taken as a prisoner of war in Burgundy and Genevieve, his grandmother, was living in the area. The tale goes that Rene escaped and fled from Nazi-occupied France to Free France, where Genevieve later joined him. Intrigued by this love story, Fred returns to France to see what he can find out.
EMMERDALE, ITV1, 7.30pm
John is still having nightmares as he envisions the new threat of Aidan interrupting his wedding. Sarah heads alone to get her biopsy results. Her fears are confirmed when the consultant reveals she has the early stages of cervical cancer. Joe realises he and Clemmie have a lot of work to do to improve their relationship. Mack struggles to steal the stash as it's just too big. Lewis gets a phone alert that there is an intruder in his attic.
EASTENDERS, BBC1, 7.30pm
Nicola tries to deny Zack's paternity but is forced to come clean when Teddy continues to press her on the facts. A painful confrontation unfolds as Teddy demands answers, but he and Nicola are shaken when Harry reveals Zack's plan to leave with Barney. Harry takes drastic measures to stop Zack and bundles him into his car boot before speeding out of Walford. Barney comforts Avani over the abusive messages. Nicola finds them and assumes Avani is leading Barney astray.
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