Ellie Simmonds has revealed that she sometimes gets ‘annoyed’ by public swimmers (Image: Getty Images for The National Lottery)Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxMore Newsletters SubscribePlease enter a valid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.More NewslettersWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More infoThank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow me See OurPrivacy Notice See OurPrivacy Notice×Group 28 Get daily celeb exclusives and behind the scenes house tours direct to your inboxInvalid emailSomething went wrong, please try again later.Sign UpNo thanks, closeWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info×Group 28Thank you for subscribing!We have more newslettersShow MeNo thanks, closeSee our
Privacy NoticeFormer Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds has opened up about her life after retirement, revealing she still enjoys a dip in the pool despite occasionally getting ‘annoyed’ with other swimmers. The 29-year-old swimming sensation, who is set to make her presenting debut at the upcoming Paralympics in Paris, spoke about her current relationship with the sport. Ellie, who clinched her first Paralympic medal at just 13 years old, shared that she aims for a weekly swim to keep her mind sharp. “I try and swim once a week, only 30 minutes,” she explained. “It helps me more mentally so I try to do 30 minutes, to go up and down.”
Ellie Simmonds has revealed what annoys her the most when she’s swimming at her local pool
(Image: WireImage)
Ellie Simmonds with her two gold medals at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Despite her love for swimming, Ellie confessed that her local pool visits can sometimes be frustrating. “I go where I used to train, so they know me – but I do sometimes get annoyed when there are slow people in the fast lane,” she admitted with a chuckle. “I try to calm down! …It’s funny actually, when I swim – one of the things I do to keep myself entertained is I look at what I could do for the other public swimmers. They don’t know but I’m thinking, ‘You could do this better.'”. The retired athlete looks back fondly on her illustrious career, which saw her bag an impressive haul of medals, including golds in the 100m freestyle and the 400m freestyle at the Beijing Games in 2012. She continued to dominate the pool, securing three additional golds alongside a silver and two bronzes before hanging up her competitive goggles in 2021.
Ellie will be presenting alongside JJ Chalmers, Vick Hope, Billy Monger and other stars for Channel 4’s Paralympics coverage
(Image: Channel 4 / Todd Anthony)
The former athlete is set to join the likes of Clare Balding, Ade Adepitan, Billy Monger and JJ Chalmers in Channel 4’s Paralympics coverage line-up – two decades after she first discovered disabled swimming. Ellie, who has dwarfism, shared: “I go where I used to train, so they know me – but I do sometimes get annoyed when there are slow people in the fast lane,” she said, laughing. “I try to calm down!…It’s funny actually, when I swim – one of the things I do to keep myself entertained is I look at what I could do for the other public swimmers. They don’t know but I’m thinking, ‘You could do this better.'” She also expressed her excitement about starting her new role after testing her broadcasting skills on ITV’s Lorraine. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I love talking. I could talk for England and I’m getting to talk about the sport I love every single day,” she said. Don’t miss the Paralympics Paris 2024: Opening Ceremony airing on Wednesday 28 August at 6:30pm on Channel 4Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnLorraineEllie Simmonds
