Ellie Goldstein has declared she wants to be an inspiration to other people with disabilities after becoming the show’s first ever contestant with Down syndrome.

The model, 23, who is paired in this year’s competition with pro Vito Coppola and is already a favourite with fans, said the competition would give her opportunity to show ‘what she was capable of’.

When Ellie was born, doctors said that she would ‘never walk or talk’, and one nurse devastatingly suggested that her parents might want to ‘leave her’ at the hospital.

But she has defied all expectations going on to model for Vogue and star in CBBC’s Malory Towers, before signing up for Strictly.

Ahead of Saturday’s first live show Ellie said: ‘Being the first contestant with Down syndrome in the main Strictly series gives me the chance to show everyone who I am, what I’ve achieved, and what I’m capable of’.

‘I hope I can be an inspiration to others watching at home – and most of all, I hope I make people smile and feel happy when they see me dancing!’.

Ellie Goldstein, 23, has declared she wants to be an inspiration to other people with disabilities after becoming the show's first ever contestant with Down syndrome

Ellie Goldstein, 23, has declared she wants to be an inspiration to other people with disabilities after becoming the show’s first ever contestant with Down syndrome

The model, 23, is paired in this year's competition with pro Vito Coppola and said the competition would give her opportunity to show 'what she was capable of'

The model, 23, is paired in this year’s competition with pro Vito Coppola and said the competition would give her opportunity to show ‘what she was capable of’

Gucci hired Ellie for its Unconventional Beauty adverts, landing her the cover of Italian Vogue in 2020.

She has graced the covers of numerous magazines, including Elle and Glamour, featured in promotions for Gucci Beauty, Adidas, TK Maxx, Body Shop, Boots, Spotify, Victoria’s Secret and Sports Direct, and even hung in the National Portrait Gallery in London on two occasions.

Ellie has been flown to Sweden, Italy and Germany for photoshoots, and has just strutted her stuff on the catwalk at London Fashion Week.

When Mattel launched its first Barbie with Down’s syndrome, the company hired the star to help promote the doll.

‘I’ve done so much modelling and I love it,’ she previously told Daily Mail. ‘And I adored doing the Barbie job — it was great to finally see a doll that looked like me.’

It comes after Amber Davies was  announced as the latest addition to the Strictly Come Dancing cast, replacing Dani Dyer after she fractured her ankle in rehearsals.

Love Island star Amber, 28, is a trained West End performer and will make her debut on Saturday night for the first live show of the series – dancing with partner Nikita Kuzmin.

With Amber rounding out the cast, a surprisingly large amount of the celebrities on this year’s Strictly already have prior dance experience.

When Ellie was born, doctors said that she would 'never walk or talk', and one nurse devastatingly suggested that her parents might want to 'leave her' at the hospital

When Ellie was born, doctors said that she would ‘never walk or talk’, and one nurse devastatingly suggested that her parents might want to ‘leave her’ at the hospital

Ellie said: 'Being the first contestant with Down syndrome in the main Strictly series gives me the chance to show everyone who I am, what I¿ve achieved, and what I¿m capable of'

Ellie said: ‘Being the first contestant with Down syndrome in the main Strictly series gives me the chance to show everyone who I am, what I’ve achieved, and what I’m capable of’

Down’s syndrome is a genetic condition that typically causes some degree of learning disability and certain physical characteristics.

Symptoms include:

Floppiness at birth
Eyes that slant down and out
A small mouth
A flat back of head

Screening tests can uncover Down’s syndrome during pregnancy but are not completely accurate.

It is caused by an extra chromosome in a baby’s cell due to a genetic change in the sperm or egg.

The chance of this increases according to the age of the mother.

A 20-year-old woman has around a one in 1,500 chance of having a baby with Down’s syndrome.

Women in their 40s have a one in 100 chance.

There is no evidence women can reduce their chances of having a child with Down’s syndrome.

Down’s syndrome does not have a cure.

Treatment focuses on supporting the patient’s development.

People with Down’s syndrome have more chance of health complications such as heart disorders, hearing problems, thyroid issues and recurrent infections.

Source: NHS Choices 

While the purpose of the show is for the celebrity contestants to learn how to dance from their professional partners, it appears many of them won’t need much help at all.

While she may not have long to prepare, Amber has plenty of dance experience behind her.

The star has a Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre and Dance, took dance as a GCSE subject at school, and trained at Danceworld Stage School.

Meanwhile, Emmerdale star Lewis Cope is already a seasoned dancer. The actor learned how to dance when he took on a role in Billy Elliott on the West End.

It has also emerged he previously took part on Sky show Got To Dance where he was a member of a troupe called Ruff Diamond.

The show, hosted by Davina McCall, aimed to find the UK’s next dance superstar and saw contestants perform each week in the hope of winning a cash prize.

Lewis, with Ruff Diamond, reached the final of the 2013 series and finished in fourth place.

Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, known as Nitro on Gladiators, also already knows his way around the dance floor.

The Team GB sprinter doesn’t have any professional dance experience but he did take part in the 2024 Strictly Christmas special with Nancy Xu, which will surely give him a leg up when it comes to learning learning the steps in rehearsals.