Crufts has revealed that its new presenter for Channel 4 will be the Paralympian Ellie Simmonds, who joins the world's biggest celebration of dogs at NEC in Birmingham this week.
"I've grown up with Crufts because I come from not too far away from here," she says. "I want to learn about all the different breeds. We know everything about golden retrievers and springer spaniels, but there's so many other breeds out there that I want to educate myself on."
There are 200 breeds vying for this year's Best in Show title at Crufts, as dogs compete in agility, obedience, flyball and heelwork to music.
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Who is Ellie Simmonds?
Ellie Simmonds is a British retired Paralympian swimmer, who competed in S6 events. She came to national attention in 2008 at the Beijing Paralympics when she was just 13, where she won two gold medals for Great Britain. She went on to win the 2008 BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year Award.
During her career, Simmonds won five Paralympic gold medals and countless world titles – and she broke several records along the way. She was just 12 when she went to her first world championships.
Simmonds was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours, the youngest person to have received this honour at just 14. She was elevated to Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours.
She retired in 2021 following the Tokyo Paralympics. Following this, she competed on Strictly Come Dancing and The Great Celebrity Bake-Off. She also fronted documentaries including Ellie Simmonds: Finding My Secret Family and A World Wihtout Dwarfism.
She was announced as the new presenter of Channel 4's coverage of Crufts in 2025.
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Where is Ellie Simmonds from?
Ellie Simmonds was born in Derbyshire, and grew up in Aldridge in the West Midlands to adoptive parents. She and her mother moved to Swansea when Simmonds was 11 to train with Team GB.
How old is Ellie Simmonds?
Ellie Simmonds was born on 11 November 1994.
Check out our guides to some of your other favourite TV presenters, including Gillian Burke, Vick Hope, Lucy Worsley, Fiona Bruce, Sandi Toksvig, Monty Don, Matt Baker and Anita Rani.
