Born to shine

Unstoppable Ellie dances into nation's hearts as she wows crowds on Strictly

- BY JESS THONET-CLARKE

TRAILBLAZING model and actor Ellie Goldstein has been defying the odds since the day she was born and now she's lighting up the Strictly ballroom.

Ellie, 23, who is the first contestant with Down's syndrome on the BBC show, made her dancing debut with a cha-cha to Ariana Grande's Yes, And?.

Her performance with pro partner Vito Coppola, 33, scored 17 points.

Reflecting on that first outing, Ellie said: “I'm honestly having the time of my life. This really is a dream come true!”

In her latest routine, Ellie wowed the crowd with a sizzling salsa to a medley of Spice Girls hits, earning 28 points and moving her to joint seventh place, alongside Balvinder Sopal and Karen Carney.

But the glitter of Strictly Come Dancing is only part of Ellie's extraordinary story.