Her experience echoes allegations made against professional dancers at Strictly, several of whom have been jettisoned over accusations that they “bullied” their charges. When I ask whether there was any strife within the sequins during her time on the show in 2022, Simmonds says that she “loved all the training” (though “my favourite bit was the fake tan, the hair, the makeup, the costumes”), and that “I’ve made some best friends from it”, including BBC broadcaster Richie Anderson, with whom she appears on Celebrity Gogglebox. 

She scored well until her exit in the sixth week, bolstered by the positive social media messages she received along the way. But trolls piped up too, writing insults including “‘how’s the dwarf going to dance?’ It’s sad and it does get to you,” she said at the time. In spite of their being in the minority, it is “those couple of negative [comments] you always cling to and think about. I think it’s probably being a woman, and being human,” she says of her propensity to ruminate on the bad. “I definitely think about those negative comments a lot.”

Simmonds adds that she is “lucky” to have an unfailing support system in her family and friends; she will spend her 30th in November in Australia for her best friend’s wedding (the beach is her “happy place”). Down the line, she is hopeful of beginning a family of her own, “if circumstances align”. 

“I’ve always had that idea throughout my life that I would definitely love to give back and to maybe foster or even adopt in the future,” she says. 

But for now, about to set off for another TV gig (armed with a lot of tissues), she is content with goals closer in sight, and “enjoying every single thing” that comes her way. “I’m just so focused on my career, travelling, and getting a dog.”

DEWEY is available in store and online at selfridges.com