Latest news with #ex-Paralympic
Edinburgh Live
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Strictly's Ellie Simmonds mum reveals heartbreaking reason she gave star up for adoption
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Strictly Come Dancing star Ellie Simmonds' birth mum heartbreakingly reveals the reason for giving her up in a starkly honest phone conversation, admitting: "All I could see is your disability". In a profound moment set to be aired on an ITV documentary this Tuesday, the ex-Paralympic swim star finds the bravery to contact her biological mother, which leads to a poignant exchange. Ellie, now 30, was relinquished for adoption by her birth mother merely ten days after birth upon discovering that Ellie had achondroplasia, a genetic type of dwarfism. Ellie recounts how her birth mum was brusquely given a leaflet by a medical professional, detailing misconceptions that children with her condition were often thought to possess lower intelligence and typically ended up working at circuses. Their paths crossed again merely two years ago while Ellie was filming the documentary Finding My Secret Family; however, it took time for Ellie to feel prepared to discuss her adoption with her mother. As she embarks on a new intimate documentary journey, Ellie Simmonds: Should I Have Children?, she delves into societal perceptions of raising children with disabilities and ponders over her own decision to have children. In a significant step, Ellie finds the strength to make the call, expressing: "I want to know what it was like for her to decide to put me up for adoption. For her it was 30-years-ago, but it's quite a sensitive, super emotional situation", reports the Mirror. (Image: AFP via Getty Images) Her birth mother, whose identity is concealed, told her: "It's really quite traumatic. It's hard for you to hear. I don't want to in any way upset you. You're making a decision at the wrong time of your life, because you've just given birth, your hormones are all over the place. You're physically not right, you're mentally not right. "There was a lot in the background going on. I kept the pregnancy a secret, I gave birth on my own. I went to a geneticist and she was very abrupt. She said, 'There you go, that's what your baby is going to look like'. I remember thinking I can't cope with this. Maybe I wanted a magic wand. "All I could see was your disability. You can make excuses, but I really did struggle. I grieved the child that I thought you should have been. It was the biggest decision of my life. To give your biological child away... it was momentous. I just handed you over and that's something you really can never get over. The guilt is horrendous. You live with it all the time." She added: "I didn't ever forget you. I thought about you every day. When I saw you at the Beijing Paralympics, I thought 'That's my Ellie'. I've been a number one fan. I've watched everything you've done, I'm extremely proud. It's an amazing thing to have a child, there's no love like it. Forward 30 years and I realise what a fabulous woman you are. It's just that you were a bit shorter. You're a completely perfect person in every way." (Image: ITV GRAB) Visibly overwhelmed, Ellie remains mostly quiet and tearful as she takes in her birth mother's words. Eventually, Ellie responds with: "We don't want to blame anyone, decisions are decisions. You're amazing", eliciting the reply: "I don't know Ellie, I think sometimes it was quite cowardly to be honest." Reflecting on the conversation later, Ellie muses: "It seems that she held that guilt for a long time. That's really sad. We put a lot of pressure on the mum in society. It's amazing that she's so honest and open. I think people's fear of a disability is actually a fear of what's inside of them." In the documentary, Ellie engages with doctors, geneticists, and frontline counsellors, and also converses with parents who have grappled with difficult choices upon learning their unborn child has a disability, pondering what her own decision would be. Ellie contemplates: "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 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?" Ellie Simmonds: Should I Have Children? is scheduled for Tuesday 27 May on ITV1 at 9pm.
Wales Online
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Strictly's Ellie Simmonds told 'all I could see was your disability' in heartbreaking call
Strictly's Ellie Simmonds told 'all I could see was your disability' in heartbreaking call In a new ITV documentary, Ellie Simmonds: Should I Have Children?, the former Paralympian swimming champion has a tear-jerking phone call with her birth mum Ellie has a new ITV documentary out next week (Image: undefined via Getty Images ) Strictly Come Dancing star Ellie Simmonds' biological mother has candidly revealed the heart-wrenching reason for giving her up, confessing in a raw telephone conversation: "All I could see is your disability". In a poignant segment set to be broadcast in an ITV documentary on Tuesday, the ex-Paralympic swimming star bravely contacts her birth mum, leading to a profoundly moving exchange. At just ten days old, Ellie, now 30, was relinquished for adoption by her birth mother upon learning of Ellie's achondroplasia, a genetic condition causing dwarfism. Ellie recounts how her birth mum was bluntly presented with a fact sheet by a medical professional, suggesting that children like her were often thought to have lower intelligence and typically ended up working in circuses. The pair re-established contact two years prior while Ellie was working on the documentary Finding My Secret Family, yet it took until now for Ellie to feel prepared to discuss her adoption with her mother. In her latest intimate documentary, Ellie Simmonds: Should I Have Children?, she delves into societal attitudes towards parenting children with disabilities and contemplates her own potential motherhood, reports the Mirror. Article continues below Gathering the strength to place the call, Ellie expresses: "I want to know what it was like for her to decide to put me up for adoption. For her it was 30 years ago, but it's quite a sensitive, super emotional situation." Ellie is an award-winning ex-Paralympic swimmer (Image: AFP via Getty Images ) Peter Andre shocked by backlash over film where he poses as Jamaican gangster READ MORE: Her birth mother, choosing to remain nameless on screen, shared her emotions: "It's really quite traumatic. It's hard for you to hear. I don't want to in any way upset you. You're making a decision at the wrong time of your life, because you've just given birth, your hormones are all over the place. You're physically not right, you're mentally not right." Discussing the difficult circumstances she faced in the past, she said: "There was a lot in the background going on. I kept the pregnancy a secret, I gave birth on my own. I went to a geneticist and she was very abrupt. She said, 'There you go, that's what your baby is going to look like'. I remember thinking I can't cope with this. Maybe I wanted a magic wand." She went on to describe the immense struggles she endured: "All I could see was your disability. You can make excuses, but I really did struggle. "I grieved the child that I thought you should have been. It was the biggest decision of my life. To give your biological child away... it was momentous. I just handed you over and that's something you really can never get over. The guilt is horrendous. You live with it all the time." Acknowledging her constant thoughts about her child, she added: "I didn't ever forget you. I thought about you every day. When I saw you at the Beijing Paralympics, I thought 'That's my Ellie'. I've been a number one fan. "I've watched everything you've done, I'm extremely proud. It's an amazing thing to have a child, there's no love like it. Fast forward 30 years and I realise what a fabulous woman you are. It's just that you were a bit shorter. You're a completely perfect person in every way." Ellie listens, visibly distraught and mostly silent, as her birth mother speaks to her. Eventually, she finds the words to reassure her: "We don't want to blame anyone, decisions are decisions. You're amazing". Ellie was left upset by the conversation she had with her biological mother (Image: ITV GRAB ) However, her birth mother candidly responds: "I don't know Ellie, I think sometimes it was quite cowardly to be honest." Reflecting on their conversation, Ellie remarks: "It seems that she held that guilt for a long time. That's really sad. We put a lot of pressure on the mum in society. It's amazing that she's so honest and open. I think people's fear of a disability is actually a fear of what's inside of them." In the documentary, Ellie engages with medical professionals, geneticists, and counsellors, and also speaks with parents who have faced challenging decisions after discovering their unborn child has a disability. She poses the question, what would she do in such a situation? Ellie ponders: "Being a 30-year-old woman, this is the time people think about starting a family. But my situation is different because I live with a disability, so I understand what it's like to be a disabled person. "When people find out they're having a disabled baby, do they worry that they won't be able to cope? Are they nervous? Do they want a picture-perfect baby?" Article continues below In the course of her journey, Ellie uncovers a harrowing fact related to her own potential future pregnancies: should she conceive with a partner who also has dwarfism, their child would have a one in four chance of inheriting a lethal 'double dose' of the condition. Ellie takes this revelation to heart, stating: "No parent should have to go through that. While I'm not at the stage of wanting a baby just yet, it's something I will have to consider." *Ellie Simmonds: Should I Have Children? is on Tuesday 27 May on ITV1 at 9pm.
Daily Record
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Ellie Simmonds' birth mum breaks down in tears as she explains why she gave her up
Former Paralympian swimming champion Ellie Simmonds has a heart-to-heart with her birth mum in an emotional episode of an ITV documentary, where she is seen breaking down in tears Ellie Simmonds' biological mother has revealed the heartbreaking reason for giving her up in a candid phone conversation, confessing: "All I could see is your disability". In a poignant moment set to be broadcast in an ITV documentary on Tuesday, the ex-Paralympic swimmer bravely contacts her birth mother, leading to a deeply moving exchange. At just ten days old, Ellie, now 30, was put up for adoption by her birth mother after discovering that Ellie had achondroplasia, a genetic condition causing dwarfism. Ellie recounts how her birth mother was bluntly given a leaflet by a medical professional, which suggested that children with her condition were often thought to have lower intelligence and typically ended up working in circuses. The pair re-established contact two years prior while Ellie was working on the documentary Finding My Secret Family, but until this point, Ellie hadn't felt prepared to discuss her adoption with her. Now, as she delves into the societal perceptions of parenting children with disabilities in her new personal documentary, Ellie Simmonds: Should I Have Children?, she also contemplates her own potential motherhood, reports the Mirror. Gathering the strength to make the call, Ellie said: "I want to know what it was like for her to decide to put me up for adoption. For her it was 30 years ago, but it's quite a sensitive, super emotional situation." Her birth mother, whose identity is kept confidential on screen, responds: "It's really quite traumatic. It's hard for you to hear. I don't want to in any way upset you. You're making a decision at the wrong time of your life, because you've just given birth, your hormones are all over the place. You're physically not right, you're mentally not right. "There was a lot in the background going on. I kept the pregnancy a secret, I gave birth on my own. I went to a geneticist and she was very abrupt. She said, 'There you go, that's what your baby is going to look like'. I remember thinking 'I can't cope with this'. Maybe I wanted a magic wand." The conversation deepens as she admits: "All I could see was your disability. You can make excuses, but I really did struggle. I grieved the child that I thought you should have been. It was the biggest decision of my life. To give your biological child away... it was momentous. I just handed you over and that's something you really can never get over. The guilt is horrendous. You live with it all the time." With emotion, she adds: "I didn't ever forget you. I thought about you every day. When I saw you at the Beijing Paralympics, I thought 'That's my Ellie'. I've been a number one fan. I've watched everything you've done, I'm extremely proud. It's an amazing thing to have a child, there's no love like it. Forward 30 years and I realise what a fabulous woman you are. It's just that you were a bit shorter. You're a completely perfect person in every way." Ellie is visibly distressed and mostly silent, shedding tears as she takes in her birth mother's words. Eventually, Ellie responds with: "We don't want to blame anyone, decisions are decisions. You're amazing", eliciting the reply from her mother: "I don't know Ellie, I think sometimes it was quite cowardly to be honest." Reflecting on the conversation later, Ellie muses: "It seems that she held that guilt for a long time. That's really sad. We put a lot of pressure on the mum in society. It's amazing that she's so honest and open. I think people's fear of a disability is actually a fear of what's inside of them." In her documentary, Ellie engages with medical professionals, genetic experts, and frontline counsellors, and also converses with parents who have grappled with difficult choices upon learning their unborn child may have a disability, pondering what her own actions would be. Ellie said: "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 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?" Ellie engages with families in a support group in south London, each sharing the revelation of expecting a child diagnosed with achondroplasia. Rosie and Lloyd, who were informed of their son Arlo's dwarfism at the 28-week scan, navigate this emotional journey. Rosie said: "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." During her interactions, Ellie meets Levi and Lewis, a couple raising their firstborn Kaylen alongside his grandma Bev. They made the agonising choice to end a subsequent pregnancy after learning the baby suffered from DiGeorge syndrome, which leads to heart defects – a mild condition in Kaylen but far more severe in the unborn child. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. Ellie also meets Megan and David, whose infant Cerys is diagnosed with Down's syndrome. While handling the prenatal diagnosis, David admits, "When we found out, it was tough. The idea of anyone bullying my child or making fun of them because of their chromosomes - that kills me." Then, celebrating Cerys's arrival, David adds: "Now we have the lived experience, we get all the joy and wonder of a child with Down's Syndrome." During the film, Ellie also makes the shocking discovery that if she became pregnant with a partner who also has dwarfism, there would be a one in four chance of the child having a 'double dose', meaning the baby would be unlikely to survive. Ellie says: "No parent should have to go through that. While I'm not at the stage of wanting a baby just yet, it's something I will have to consider."
