Strictly Come Dancing star Ellie Simmonds has already won the hearts of the nation with her partnerships with pro Nikita Kuzmin, but does she have a special someone in her personal life?

The answer is yes! She does! And Ellie’s boyfriend was a big inspiration behind her stint on the glitzy BBC dancing show.

The Paralympian, who has dwarfism, won a standing ovation for her waltz with her Ukrainian dance partner, and has also impressed with her Cha Cha and Quickstep before taking on the Salsa this weekend.

But there’s one person who’ll be cheering her on no matter what – Matt Dean.

Who is Ellie’s boyfriend Matt Dean?

Ellie is currently dating her childhood friend turned boyfriend, Matt Dean.

They’ve been together for several years and keep their romance relatively private, first meeting through Matt’s parents.

But, Matt was in the audience for her first live show and he looked proud as punch as his girlfriend donned head-to-toe sequins and took to the dancefloor.

Otherwise, Matt tends to keep himself to himself and he doesn’t make appearances on Ellie’s social media accounts.

What has Ellie said about him?

Strictly host Claudia Winkleman was excited to point out that Matt was in the audience at the first live show, and praise the culinary skills he’s acquired over recent weeks.

‘We have to mention your partner Matt because he’s never cooked before and now you’re doing Strictly, I believe he’s making you packed lunches, he’s making supper at night,’ she told Ellie.

The gold medallist replied: ‘He’s making everything, so yeah, he’s an alright cook,’ before joking that she thinks ‘he could do a bit better.’

‘He needs to add the vegetables,’ Ellie continued.

‘He keeps forgetting the vegetables and is just giving me carbohydrates!’

‘Matt if you can hear this, then some broccoli, some peas,’ Claudia chimed in, to which Matt gave a thumbs up.

Ellie, 27, has also spoken about her partner being a big influence behind her decision to take part in Strictly.

‘He was like, “Go for it, you don’t know unless you try”,’ she shared ahead of the launch.

‘Now I’m so happy I said yes.’

Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday and Sunday on BBC one.

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