Emma Ellingsen makes history as first trans woman to compete on Strictly in Norway
Emma Ellingsen made history as the first trans woman to compete on Norway’s ‘Shall We Dance?’ ( Kate Green/Getty Images Getty Images for White Fox Boutique)
Emma Ellingsen made history as the first trans woman to compete on Norway’s 'Shall We Dance?' ( Kate Green/Getty Images Getty Images for White Fox Boutique)
Emma Ellingsen has become the first transgender woman to take part in Norway’s version of Strictly Come Dancing.
Her appearance on Shall We Dance (Skal vi Danse)? marks a milestone for trans TV representation in Norway, which, despite being considered one of the most LGBTQ+-friendly countries in the world, still lags behind others on recognising non-binary people and offering gender-affirming care to those under the age of 18.
However, she has become the second person to be eliminated from the show. “Now I’m out, it’s strange, it hasn’t fully dawned on me. It’s sad,” the model said.
Speaking about her dance-off against weather forecaster Desta Marie Beeder, Ellingsen added: “I hadn’t prepared myself at all for a duel. So I [couldn’t] imagine anything going wrong. The fact that it was me who got out is sad but it would have been sad no matter who.”
She posted an Instagram tribute to her dance partner Catalin Andrei, writing: “Wow, what an adventure. Extremely grateful to have been a part of this and to be able to learn dance in this way. An experience I will never forget.”
Who is Emma Ellingsen?
Emma Ellingsen is a 24-year-old model and content creator who is known to fans as Emma the vampire slayer. She has more than 630,000 followers on instagram.
She is signed to Storm Management in London but her mother agency is Oslo-based Team Models.
In an interview with Vogue Scandinavia in 2022, she said that “beauty comes from within”, adding: “True beauty is someone having the confidence to be themselves and to be respectful of others in this process.”
Stars such as Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson have helped mould her into the woman she is today, she revealed. Her sister is also a role model. “She’s six years older than me and has always been so supportive. Just watching her when I was younger was the coolest thing ever. I loved it and I love her.”
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