Ellie Simmonds

“People come up to me and say, 'You're that swimmer.'”

“I don't wear jewellery and I don't care about shoes and dresses. But I love my handbags. They're my real luxury.”

“I love who I am and I am glad that I have dwarfism because I think my body is strong and beautiful.”

“I've achieved my dream of getting a Paralympic gold medal and I'm very lucky that I've been to three Games where I've come away with five gold medals.”

“I don't see it as a disability. I'm just a normal person, but a bit smaller than everyone else.”

“Growing up, I was aware of being a dwarf but I felt I could do anything.”

“When I was in Beijing, London, and also in Rio I was still a kid really, I didn't feel pressure.”

“I jumped into my parents loft where I was actually able to go through all my cards, all the newspaper cuttings that my family collected, and it made me realise just how big London 2012 was - it was huge! That was a Games that I will never, ever forget and it was definitely my highlight.”

“I would have loved to sneak off and watch some of the horse events at the Paralympics and I know Lee Pearson, who's the Olympic gold medallist in para-equestrianism, but because I was competing in the pool I had to watch it on TV.”

“I'm a big, big fan of cheesecake, so I love baking that.”

“I like Drake, I like Rihanna, I like Beyonce, I like Mumford and Sons, and Coldplay.”

“Being at home gives me such a big buzz and just makes me want to perform.”

“For me I normally rise up to a Paralympics, I love those pressured environments.”

“Four Games is incredible. Especially as an nine-year-old watching Athens 2004. To think as a kid then I would not just go to one Games but four.”

“I'm the baby of the family and love it.”

“When I bake, I give it to people because when I'm full-time training, I have to really watch what I eat.”

“Swimming is only half of your life, so you have to think about what you're going to do afterwards.”

“A lot of the time, when I swim, I close my eyes because it is definitely lonely.”

“Everyone saw me cry with happiness after I won the Beijing medals. It's really embarrassing.”

“I think people shouldn't think 'I'm not normal, I've got a disability.' Overcome that, go out there and enjoy your life and achieve something.”