Former Strictly Come Dancing star Ellie Simmonds has lifted the lid on what life is like on the nationwide ballroom tour.
The retired Paralympic swimmer – who has teamed up with SHEBA for their Hope Grows programme – wowed fans on the BBC 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.
Ahead of the live final set to hit our screens tonight (December 14), the blonde bombshell, 30, has revealed what the stars really get up to on the tour in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk.
She told us what this year’s celebs could expect on the Strictly tour bus, gushing: "Tour was so much fun, so much fun, we had a great time. And I think we all bonded and we had the most amazing five or six weeks on the road.
“The pressures were off because you know that you’re not going anywhere so to dance in the O2 and to dance all across the country in front of all the fans was just the most wonderful experience.
“And by the end of it you know the dance like the back of your hand. You don’t even need to think about the steps you make because it just happens naturally. I could probably still do the Charleston now after doing it for, gosh I think we did like 32 shows so you can just remember it.”
It was at this point that the multi-gold medal winner revealed that she and her dance partner Nikita Kuzmin would regularly suffer major performance faux-pas on stage.
She went on: “I know sometimes me and Nikita would just talk through the whole dance and we’d just have a chat because we just knew it, and you don’t even need to think about the steps or anything.
“Yeah, it was lots of fun. I think for the first couple of days when we opened in Birmingham, I was nervous. But then after that you just enjoy every second of it.”
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In 2025, fans will be able to watch EastEnders hunk Jamie Borthwick, Opera singer Wynne Evans, Olympian Montell Douglas Take to the stage.
Also joining them will be X Factor star Shayne Ward, and finalists Tasha Ghouri, JB Gill and Sarah Hadland, all fighting it out to lift the glitterball trophy.
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.”
The Strictly Come Dancing final airs on Saturday (December 14) from 6pm on BBC One or catch up on BBC iPlayer.
