Paralympic legend Ellie Simmonds has been named as the as the sixth celebrity to join Strictly Come Dancing 's 2022 line-up.
Simmonds, 27, is a five-time Paralympic champion and rose to fame when she competed in the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing when she was just 13-year-old.
The broadcaster said she was "bursting with excitement" as she sets her sights on the picking up the Glitterball, the Mirror reports.
She added: "To be asked to be part of the Strictly family is just so exciting and I cannot wait, it's going to be so much fun.
"I'm counting down the minutes until it starts; learning to dance, meeting my partner and everyone else involved in the show. Plus wearing the sequins and all that, it's going to be a blast.
"I've been watching Strictly from as far back as I can remember; it's a traditional lead up to Christmas with my family and it's a genuine privilege to be part of it."
Ellie is best known as being a gold medal-winning Paralympic swimmer. At Beijing, she won gold medals in the 100m and 400m freestyle events.
In 2012 she achieved gold in the 400m freestyle and the 200m Individual Medley at the Summer Paralympics in London and won a further gold in the 200m Individual Medley at Rio 2016.
Ellie has also gone on to win ten gold World Championship titles as well as winning BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year when she was just 13.
The Strictly star became the youngest person event to receive an MBE when she was 14 which was elevated to OBE in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to Paralympic sport. She retired from swimming in 2020.
Ellie has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia. Ellie is the sixth contestant to be announced for Strictly Come Dancing 2022.
So far she will be joined by stand-up comedienne Jayde Adams, Loose Women star Kaye Adams, Radio 2 star Richie Anderson, former Coronation Street actress Kym Marsh and actor Will Mellor who was the first person to be revealed.
Other celeb contestants are set to be announced in the coming days.
There will be some noticeable changes to this year's Strictly, with pro dancers Oti Mabuse and Aljaz Skorjanec and judge Bruno Tonioli leaving the show.
Four new pros have been drafted in, including European cup winner Vito Coppola , Chinese National Champion Carlos Gu , former Under 21 British National Champion Lauren Oakley and Latin dance champion Michelle Tsiakkas.
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