ellie simmonds. My Secret Family itv 9pm

Looking forward to the programme tonight. Ellie has just been on BBC Breakfast providing a taster, without giving too much away. What an inspirational woman and role model, for so many reasons.

Ellie was on Celebrity Gogglebox recently with a friend, passing comments on recent television programmes.

Watching this now, to find a note that your birth mother wished that she’d had an abortion or that you’d died is just awful, heartbreaking.
Ellie is such a beautiful soul with a lovely smile.
I hope that the mother is able to show regret and love and that Ellie can understand her reasons and feel some love from her.

The man with the facial disfigurement is so brave, what a horrible rejection. I just want to give him a hug.

I've not watched the program and I had no idea she was adopted but please don't be so harsh on the parents or Mum. Medical professionals do tend to encourage you to explore whether you can cope with a child with a disability. I am not sure it is appropriate (especially as outside support is/was low on the ground) Maybe some people make the right choices for their children when they give them up for adoption

Ellie is a wonderful young woman who has had the chance of a life and is having a bloody good go of it

I'm watching it. Thank you lemsip, I wouldn't have seen it without your prompt. It's so raw. When my daughter, my first baby, went blind at three weeks old the paediatrician who was responsible said she thought it would have been better 'If your baby had slipped away at the beginning.' I was shocked and disgusted and never, ever thought that, not for one moment, but I had a secure home life and good income and parents nearby and that helped enormously. I don't know how I'd have coped as a single parent.

I don’t think anyone has judged the mother. I just thought it was heartbreaking for Ellie to read those things said by the mother.
I went on to say that I hoped the mother could show love and regret and that Ellie could understand her reasons.
I’m sure there were reasons. No judgement from me.

Mizuna, I do know that your daughter has grow up to be a strong and independent young woman. You must be very proud of her.
That was a lovely outcome for Ellie to be told by her Mum that she thinks about her every day.

not sure if it was in this programme, but i saw something where she was holding a printed paper, written by so-called medical experts, which i think her mother was given at the time?
it stated that that persons with dwarfism were known to be evil and stupid.
and that was only 28 years ago.

Thanks LauraNorderr, her dad and I just determined from the outset not to fuss about her disability so we had two (sighted) boys quickly after her and all they grew up in a noisy, fairly chaotic household, which was good training for life!

That programme was so heart-warming, I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

welbeck

not sure if it was in this programme, but i saw something where she was holding a printed paper, written by so-called medical experts, which i think her mother was given at the time?
it stated that that persons with dwarfism were known to be evil and stupid.
and that was only 28 years ago.

Yes, it was in the programme and had been part of a trailer too, I think. If ever the world needed to see how it's important to remove inappropriate, divisive language from our conversations and the written word, it was that moment.

I agree chardy. Laura, thanks for your post. I don’t want to really explain what has been put in my dds notes over the years but some of it wasn’t very nice about the both of us!

I don’t judge women who know they can’t cope with a handicapped child. I don’t think I could have, but I don’t know. In that case to have them adopted by someone who will be able to cope and give them love and a good future is surely for the best.

The information her mother was given was dreadful and it happened with so many disabilities. It's not so long since parents of Downs children were advised to put them in a home, and today we have young adults like Leslie Grantham's son who is such a successful actor.

Loved the programme.
At the time she was dancing on Strictly I thought she seemed highly emotional.. now we know why.

Amazing that she seemed to have had such a successful meeting with her mum. Really hope it lasts.