Ellie Simmonds to ask ‘should I have children’ in new documentary

Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds volition inquire if she “should person children” successful a caller ITV documentary.

The 30-year-old retired swimmer, who competed connected Strictly Come Dancing and was portion of the Channel 4 presenting squad who covered the 2024 Paralympics past year, was calved with a signifier of dwarfism named achondroplasia.

She said that she was motivated to beforehand the upcoming programme Ellie Simmonds: Should I Have Children?, aft gathering her commencement parent successful a 2023 ITV documentary.

Simmonds said: “Now having the knowing of what my commencement parent and truthful galore others experienced 30 years agone erstwhile it came to disablement and pregnancy, I privation to spot however things person changed for parents today.

“I besides privation to situation immoderate of the perceptions that beryllium contiguous astir children calved with disabilities.

“It’s a profoundly idiosyncratic taxable to me, and I’m conscionable truthful grateful to each those who person fto maine embark connected what are profoundly idiosyncratic and affectional journeys of their own.”

The golden medallist volition research the “emotionally fraught decisions she would, and expectant parents do, look erstwhile they are told that their kid whitethorn beryllium calved with a disability”.

It volition besides spot her question “should I person children and what would that look like?”, and if she feels “fully prepared to navigate a pregnancy? And what would it mean for a kid of hers to beryllium calved disabled oregon non-disabled?”

Jo Clinton-Davis, controller of Factual ITV, said: “We’re truthful pleased that Ellie is making this insightful and profoundly idiosyncratic movie for us.

“Packed with affectional quality narratives and layered with potent dilemmas, this is simply a movie that volition shed caller airy connected a important communicative of our times with the powerfulness some to determination america and marque america each think: ‘What bash we feel? What would we do?’”

Through the documentary she volition sojourn 1 of the UK’s starring Foetal Medicine Units (FCU), wherever skilled specializer doctors dainty unborn babies that person complications, and talk with families that are coming to presumption with their children having a a prenatal diagnosis of disability.

Simmonds volition “question whether the practice of radical similar herself successful the nationalist oculus has brought down barriers”, and besides talk to doctors, geneticists, cardiologists, midwives and counsellors who usher these families.

Last year, she took location the champion azygous Bafta documentary for the ITV film Ellie Simmonds: Finding My Secret Family.

Executive shaper Colleen Flynn, who worked connected Simmonds’ erstwhile ITV documentary, from Flicker Productions said: “Ellie has an unsocial quality to tackle the astir nuanced subjects with bosom and understanding. And this movie is nary different.

“As Ellie delicately navigates the emotionally analyzable decisions galore parents crossed the state are facing erstwhile they are told they are having a babe that volition apt beryllium disabled.”

Simmonds’ BBC documentary Ellie Simmonds: A World Without Dwarfism? antecedently won her the breakthrough presenter gong astatine the 2023 Edinburgh TV Awards.

She won the archetypal 2 of her 5 Paralympic golden medals successful Beijing successful 2008 earlier retiring aft Tokyo 2020.

Ellie Simmonds: Should I Have Children? volition aerial connected ITV and ITVX.