Strictly Come Dancing's Ellie Simmonds explains Waltz adaptations amid 'challenging' week

Strictly Come Dancing star Nikita Kuzmin has broken his silence amid reports that he and his long-term girlfriend have called it quits. The professional dancer, 24, is believed to have split from fellow dancer Nicole Wirt after five years of dating, with reports claiming Nikita wants to "totally focus" on the current series of Strictly. Despite his break-up, Nikita, who joined the BBC One show last year, has been working hard with his dance partner Ellie Simmonds, 27, ahead of Saturday night's live show.

Ellie Simmonds is the 27-year-old Paralympian who is currently competing in this year's Strictly Come Dancing.The swimming sensation holds an OBE and won two gold medals aged 13 in 2008 at the Beijing summer Paralympics - and is now trying her hand at dancing.Entering the competition after her long-time beau persuaded her to take up the offer, Ellie is paired up with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin - with the pair dancing the Cha Cha to DANCE by DNCE last weekend.READ NEXT: Strictly's Helen Skelton 'collapses' as brutal training session leaves her on floorThe sporting star has achondroplasia dwarfism, a glowing career, a doting boyfriend and a slew of honorary degrees.To find out more about Ellie, keep on reading as Daily Star explores her life.Ellie has a generic condition called achondroplasia, which means her bones didn't develop properly while she was in the womb.With this condition the protein "begins to function abnormally", which in turn "slows down the growth of bone in the cartilage of the growth plate".Dwarfism is the primary feature of the achondroplasia, and those with the condition usually have shorter arms and legs, while the torso is of a normal length.Speaking to The Guardian back in 2014, Ellie revealed that she is the youngest of five but only she and her older sister Katie have the condition.She said: "I've always been aware of being shorter, but I felt as if I could do anything.

Strictly Come Dancing professional Nikita Kuzmin has reportedly broken up with his girlfriend of five years, Nicole Wirt.

Strictly Come Dancing professional James Jordan praised Ellie Simmonds and Nikita Kuzmin's Cha Cha Cha routine, but suggested she could do with "consciously" straightening her leg to improve her performance.

Strictly Come Dancing pro Nikita Kuzmin has reportedly broken up with his girlfriend of five years, fellow dancer Nicole Wirt.The 24-year-old TV star and his partner are said to have made the “mutual decision” to part ways as Nikita embarks on a new series of Strictly with Ellie Simmonds.Nicole has purportedly moved her personal belongings out from Nikita’s London home.According to a source, Nikita - who has been partnered with Paralympic swimmer Ellie - wants to “focus” on work now.Nicole is said to also be throwing herself into work in Germany as she is currently “getting busier”.The source said: “Nikita wanted to totally focus on this series of Strictly and decided a while back he wanted to end his relationship with Nicole.“They had been together for five years and it ended up being a mutual decision."Nicole is mainly based in Germany and she is getting busier with work.”The insider added to The Sun: “Nikita is totally caught up in Strictly so they decided it was for the best for them to break up.“Nicole used to stay in London to visit Nikita but it was becoming more difficult with their schedules.”The source concluded that Nikita “only wants the best for Nicole” and vice versa.They concluded: “For now he wants to put all of his focus on Ellie and their journey on Strictly.”Nikita's BBC representatives told Express.co.uk: "We’re not commenting and neither is Nikita."It comes after Nikita recently gave fans an insight into his training process with Ellie after impressing the judges with their first performance.Last week, This Morning hosts Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield welcomed Strictly stars Ellie and Nikita onto the show.The pair revealed that they would be tackling the Waltz after their impressive Cha Cha

Strictly Come Dancing star Nikita Kuzmin has called time on his relationship with long-term girlfriend Nicole Wirt, after five years together, according to reports. The talented professional dancer, who is currently starring on the 20th series of the iconic BBC show alongside his celebrity dance partner Olympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds, is said to have mutually made the decision to split with fellow dancer Nicole after dating for over half a decade.

Strictly Come Dancing star Nikita Kuzmin, who is partnered with Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds on the BBC competition, has reportedly broken up with his girlfriend.The dancing pro, 24, has been in a relationship with Nicole Wirt since 2016 but a source revealed the fellow dancer has moved her belongings out of her ex-boyfriend's London flat.A source told The Sun that Nikita's sole focus is on Strictly and as Nicole is based in Germany, their schedules have become harder to work around.READ MORE: Strictly It Takes Two viewers baffled over continuity error as seating 'changes'The source said: "Nikita wanted to totally focus on this series of Strictly and decided a while back he wanted to end his relationship with Nicole."They had been together for five years and it ended up being a mutual decision. Nicole is mainly based in Germany and she is getting busier with work."Nikita is totally caught up in Strictly so they decided it was for the best for them to break up.

Ellie Taylor shared the sweetest photo alongside her rarely seen four-year-old daughter, Valentina, who came to support her at the dress rehearsal of Strictly Come Dancing.MORE: Strictly's Ellie Taylor reveals supportive message from Ted Lasso co-star - and it's so sweet!Taking to social media, the Comedian, 38, posed with her arm around her little one, whilst dressed in her full Strictly glam ahead of her performance on Saturday evening.WATCH: Strictly's Katya begs to redo first routine following mistakeCaptioning the image, she penned: "Ratbag came to watch a rehearsal. Verdict: 'I liked your dance mummy… can I do some drawing now.'"READ:  12 Strictly Come Dancing pros' glitzy weddings: Amy Dowden, Janette Manrara & moreSEE: Strictly's Nikita Kuzmin and Ellie Simmonds make big announcement – fans reactEllie, who keeps Valentina out of the public eye, chose to cover her face with a mouse emoji in the image.

KYM Marsh has been struck by “crippling” nausea and dizziness during Strictly rehearsals - and fears vomiting on the live show. The former Coronation Street star, 46, who is paired with Graziano Di Prima, suffers from visual vertigo after developing an issue with her inner ear. It leads to a “sensitive” balance system which can be easily overwhelmed by rapidly changing visual surroundings - such as bright lights or travelling on a moving escalator or motorway.

Ellie Simmonds' mother, Val, was left in tears as she watched her daughter perform an "emotional" Waltz with pro Nikita Kuzmin on Saturday's Strictly Come Dancing. After performing, Ellie, 27, and Nikita, 24, received praise from the judges with Shirley Ballas admitting she was "emotional" after the routine full of "magic".

Ellie Simmonds may have wowed us all with her impressive dancing skills on Strictly Come Dancing, but the Paralympic swimmer admitted she’s been targeted by trolls online and it has really affected her. Ellie, 27, who has achondroplasia dwarfism, said: “I’ve had it already. Some people have said, ‘How’s the dwarf going to dance?’ It’s sad and it does get to you.

Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds is part of an exciting lineup on this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing. Off the dance floor, Ellie is an incredibly talented swimmer and won two gold medals for Team GB at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics - when she was just 13 years old. Last year during the Tokyo Olympics, Ellie announced her retirement from the world of swimming which gave her much time to spend in her lovely home.

Strictly Come Dancing star Ellie Simmonds has spoken out about her fears ahead of joining the competition. "My biggest fear about competing on the show is that it's all new. It's the unknown," says Ellie, 27, in an exclusive chat with OK!.

Strictly Come Dancing star Ellie Simmonds has revealed she sees Rose Ayling-Ellis as an "inspiration" - and says we need to "celebrate" diversity.It comes as the show faced a backlash from critics claiming the show is a "woke box-ticking exercise" for casting same-sex couples and contestants with disabilities.Paralympic swimmer Ellie, 27, has won four gold medals for Great Britain and bagged 10 world records during her amazing athletic career.READ MORE:Strictly's Hamza Yassin slams 'woke' claims and defends co-star from 'nonsense' criticsBut she's ditched the pool for the famous BBC ballroom, where she's competing with show pro #Nikita Kuzmin for a chance to win yet another competition.Ellie told Daily Star and other press that we need to "celebrate" the fact that everybody's different, praising the show's inclusive nature as it gives children something to "relate to".Asked if she sees Rose as an inspiration, she confirmed: "Yeah, yeah. No definitely.

Strictly Come Dancing star Anton Du Beke, 57, and Hannah tied the knot at Cliveden House Hotel in 2017 after admitting it was love at first sight for him.The couple managed to keep their big day under wraps with only limited loved ones in attendance and no reception in the evening.The Strictly jude said the couple settled for a small wedding, an afternoon tea and then went back home to bed. He told Hello! Magazine: "Some people like a huge celebration, but I didn't feel comfortable with that because it's a very intimate moment and I just wanted to get married to Hannah."The couple met at a party back in 2012 and got together shortly after.In the same year as their wedding, his wife fell pregnant with twins three months into IVF treatment.Richard Gere's mortality fears as he hopes to live to see kids grow upOn March 30, she gave birth to their daughter Henrietta and son George.Anton's wife has been open about her struggles with conceiving in recent years.Speaking to Lorraine Kelly in 2021, Hannah spilled that she told the dancer about her battle with endometriosis pretty early on.She explained: "The problem with me is, it's quite hard to hide."It was one of those things where on a monthly basis, I looked like I was six months pregnant."Hannah suffered from swelling which often resulted in people asking her if she was expecting.Sitting by her side, Anton added: "It's one of those perverse things endometriosis, where if you're a woman who wants to have children and you have endometriosis and you find you can't have children, then the bloating looks like you're pregnant."People are like, 'Oh marvellous, you must be so delighted,' it's sort of compounded somehow."'Part of dwarfism' James Jordan corrected after Ellie Simmonds

STRICTLY star Ellie Simmonds' parents opened up about their fears for their daughter after she signed up for the BBC dance show. Five-time Paralympic gold medallist swimmer Ellie, 27, who is the BBC show’s first contestant with dwarfism, had the crowd on their feet with an energetic cha-cha-cha to Dance by DNCE last week.

Ellie Simmonds may have wowed us all with her impressive dancing skills on Strictly Come Dancing, but the Paralympic swimmer admitted she’s been targeted by trolls online and it has really affected her. Ellie, 27, who has achondroplasia dwarfism, said: “I’ve had it already. Some people have said, ‘How’s the dwarf going to dance?’ It’s sad and it does get to you.'" Despite the keyboard warriors’ cruel comments, the gold medal-winning athlete has already been praised by notoriously harsh judge Craig Revel Horwood for her fantastic timing, rhythm and attitude.

Strictly Come Dancing co-stars, dance pro Nikita Kuzmin and his celeb partner Ellie Simmonds.The Spanish dancer, 32, reshared a sweet snap of the partnership ahead of the second week of the show.In view of his 703,000 followers, Gorka voiced his support for Nikita and Ellia.The Strictly pro reposted a picture of the duo which paralympian Ellie has shared to her stories.In the pic, Nikita affectionately had his arm around Elie's shoulder as she beamed while hugging him around his waist.The swimming champion also revealed that the Spaniard was the one who took a snap of the sweet moment.Ellie wrote: "@gorka_marquez bringing out his incredible camera...

Ellie Simmonds and her Strictly Come Dancing dance partner Nikita Kuzmin appeared on This Morning last Friday to talk about their Strictly journey so far.After earning an impressive score of 28 in week on doing the cha cha cha, they said that this week they will be dancing that waltz.Simmonds said that this week had been hard during rehearsal.READ MORE: Strictly winner Rose Ayling-Ellis begs fans to stop comparing her to Ellie Simmonds Her dance partner said: “Not going to lie, this has been a really hard week, a really hard week in the beginning.“But, I can say proudly that I got Ellie to smile yesterday evening! So that was a good result, we can finally start smiling and enjoying it so that’s good."Simmonds, who has the most common type of dwarfism, achondroplasia, said that she “just couldn’t get it” for this week’s routine.“I kept seeing you doing it and I was trying to do it. I’d get one move and then I couldn’t remember the next move.”Asked what adaptions he’s had to make for Simmonds during dance routines, Kuzmin said: “Realistically, it’s quite a lot but at the same time we still have the same technique, we still have the same basic rules.”He said that he’s enjoying having her as a dance partner as it allows for him to “think outside out the box”.