Desert Island Discs

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BBC Radio 4 FM

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Castaway guests share the soundtrack of their lives.

Eight tracks, a book and a luxury: what would you take to a desert island? Guests share the soundtrack of their lives.

BBC Radio 4 LW

Desert Island Discs: Ellie Simmonds, swimmer

Ellie Simmonds, swimmer

BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, Ellie Simmonds, swimmer

Ellie Simmonds, swimmer, shares the soundtrack of her life with Lauren Laverne.

Ellie Simmonds, swimmer, shares the eight tracks, book and luxury item she would take with her if cast away to a desert island. With Lauren Laverne.

Ellie Simmonds has competed at four Paralympic Games, winning five gold medals and breaking world records on the way. She first came to national attention at the age of 13, when she won two golds at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, and became the youngest person ever to be awarded an MBE a few months later. 

Ellie is the youngest of five children and was born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism. Swimming was central to her life from a very early age, and her ambition to compete at the highest level was sparked by watching the Athens 2004 Paralympics on TV at the age of nine, when her mother told her she could take part at any age, as long as she was good enough. 

She became the face of the London 2012 Paralympics and won a further two gold medals, followed by another gold in Rio in 2016.  Shortly after taking part in the Tokyo Paralympics last year, she announced her retirement from competitive swimming at the age of 26.

She recently presented TV documentaries on conservation and on the controversies surrounding drug treatments for achondroplasia.

DISC ONE: Proud by Heather Small 
DISC TWO: Own It by Stormzy ft Ed Sheeran and Burna Boy  
DISC THREE: Toxic by Britney Spears
DISC FOUR: Lose Yourself by Eminem
DISC FIVE: Paradise by Coldplay
DISC SIX: Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves
DISC SEVEN: Unforgettable by French Montana feat. Swae Lee
DISC EIGHT:  Rocket Man by Elton John

BOOK CHOICE: The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins   
LUXURY ITEM: A diary and pen  
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Rocket Man by Elton John  

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer  Sarah Taylor

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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Desert Island Discs

Ellie Simmonds, swimmer

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