Express.co.uk exclusively spoke to Ellie Simmonds about the struggles she faced during the Paralympics, leading to her decision to exit competitive sport aged just 21.
The swimming ace - now a BAFTA-winning documentary film maker and TV presenter - also revealed that her intense training routine in her younger years had led her to miss out on "growing up". "I was growing up in [professional] sport and in the spotlight and feeling the pressure..
. I was just burnt out," she explained. "We had an individual on the team who was not the nicest and treated us not in a nice way.
That's why I took the decision afterwards to take a year out from the sport," Ellie continued. "I was lucky that I could make that decision - but career changes, or just saying no to things, is okay - to look after your mental health and look after yourself." Instead of agonising over it, she opted to take a break from the difficult and pressurised workplace environment - and ended up having "the best year that I've ever had".
She used the time to go travelling everywhere from diverse places in the UK to the picturesque island of Madagascar, where she went without any phone signal for an entire 24 hours. The digital detox helped her to pause, focus on "the beautiful world that we live in" and "find that confidence of being okay on my own" while doing so. Though she travelled solo, she wasn't lonely for a second, and ended up "making friends all around the world".
Ellie can't relate to the traumatic Strictly .