“I Try to Calm Down!”: Ellie Simmonds on Life After Retirement and Her Love for Swimming
Former Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds has opened up about her life after retiring from competitive swimming, sharing her continued passion for the sport—even if it occasionally leads to some frustration. The 29-year-old, who is preparing to make her presenting debut at the upcoming Paralympics in Paris, spoke candidly about her current relationship with swimming.
Ellie, who won her first Paralympic medal at just 13, revealed that she still enjoys a regular dip in the pool 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.”
However, despite her love for the water, Ellie admitted that her visits to the local pool aren’t always without irritation. “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 confessed with a laugh. “I try to calm down! It’s funny actually when I swim—one of the things I do to keep myself entertained is look at what I could do for the other public swimmers. They don’t know, but I’m thinking, ‘You could do this better.'”
Reflecting on her illustrious career, Ellie expressed fond memories of her time as a competitive swimmer, which included multiple Paralympic medals. She achieved her first golds in the 100m and 400m freestyle events at the Beijing Games in 2008 and continued to dominate, earning three more golds, a silver, and two bronzes before retiring in 2021, told OK! Magazine.
As she transitions into her new role as a broadcaster, Ellie is set to join the likes of Clare Balding, Ade Adepitan, Billy Monger, and JJ Chalmers in Channel 4’s coverage of the Paralympics. This new chapter comes two decades after she first discovered disabled swimming, a journey that has now come full circle as she prepares to share her insights with a wider audience.
Ellie also expressed her excitement about this new phase of her career, having already tested 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, clearly thrilled at the prospect.
As she embarks on this new adventure, Ellie Simmonds remains a passionate advocate for swimming, eager to share her love for the sport with the world—even if that means offering a bit of silent advice to fellow swimmers at her local pool.