{"id":453959,"date":"2025-09-26T23:45:43","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T23:45:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/453959\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T23:45:43","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T23:45:43","slug":"strictlys-ellie-goldstein-says-she-wants-to-be-an-inspiration-to-others-and-show-what-shes-capable-of-after-becoming-the-competitions-first-ever-contestant-with-down-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/453959\/","title":{"rendered":"Strictly’s Ellie Goldstein says she wants to be an inspiration to others and show what she’s ‘capable of’ after becoming the competition’s first ever contestant with Down syndrome"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ellie Goldstein<\/a>\u00a0has declared she wants to be an inspiration to other people with disabilities after becoming the show’s\u00a0first ever contestant with Down syndrome.<\/p>\n

The model, 23, who is paired in this year’s competition with pro\u00a0Vito Coppola<\/a>\u00a0and is already a favourite with fans,\u00a0said the competition would give her opportunity to show ‘what she was capable of’.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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

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\u2019ve achieved, and what I\u2019m capable of’.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘I hope I can be an inspiration to others watching at home \u2013 and most of all, I hope I make people smile and feel happy when they see me dancing!’.<\/p>\n

\"Ellie <\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

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’<\/p>\n

Gucci hired Ellie for its Unconventional Beauty adverts, landing her the cover of Italian Vogue in 2020.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She has\u00a0graced 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ellie has been flown to Sweden, Italy and Germany for photoshoots, and has just strutted her stuff on the catwalk at London Fashion Week.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When Mattel launched its first Barbie with Down’s syndrome, the company hired the star to help promote the doll.<\/p>\n

‘I’ve done so much modelling and I love it,’ she previously told Daily Mail. ‘And I adored doing the Barbie job \u2014 it was great to finally see a doll that looked like me.’<\/p>\n

It comes after\u00a0Amber Davies<\/a>\u00a0was\u00a0 announced as the latest addition to the Strictly<\/a> Come Dancing cast, replacing Dani Dyer<\/a> after she fractured her ankle in rehearsals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u00a0Nikita Kuzmin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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

\"When <\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

\"Ellie <\/p>\n

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\u2019ve achieved, and what I\u2019m capable of’\u00a0<\/p>\n

What is Down’s Syndrome<\/a><\/p>\n

Down’s syndrome is a genetic condition that typically causes some degree of learning disability and certain physical characteristics.<\/p>\n

Symptoms include:<\/p>\n