SIXTY SECONDS
THE PRESENTER, 36, ON THE TOKYO PARALYMPICS, MOTORBIKES AND HER SERIES LIVING WILD: HOW TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE
How does it feel to be presenting at the Paralympics in Tokyo?
It’s a privilege to be part of it. At the Paralympics in Rio in 2016 I was lead anchor and covered all the sports but this time I’m going to be broadcasting for Channel 4 from the swimming centre. It’s going to be intense because it’s the second-biggest sport behind athletics and we’ve got a lot of medal hopefuls, including Ellie Simmonds.
Are you thrilled at the level of interest in Paralympic sport?
Since the London Paralympics we’ve really seen a shift in attitude. It didn’t get much attention before that. Things have changed and it’s exciting to see how the Games are progressing. I’m not a Paralympian myself but as a disabled person and a disability advocate, it’s important that we use the Games to showcase more than just disabled sport. It’s about disabled lives.
You’ve just written a book about your life…
It’s called Driving Forward and it’s a memoir about what it’s like to be a young woman who acquires a severe spinal-cord injury and paralysis. I was a girl on the precipice of adult life. I literally had my car crash on the day I got my A-level results so I went from childhood as a non-disabled person to adult life as a disabled person.
What has that been like?
When you live with a disability there are many benefits, not just disadvantages. It’s given me a huge amount of gratitude and joy and perspective that I would perhaps never have had otherwise. For that reason, I would never say it’s the worst thing that has happened to me. On the other hand, it’s made my life incredibly difficult and I have ongoing challenges navigating the world.
How was lockdown?
Really tough. My spinal injury meant that I had to shield. Then I had some secondary complications with my disability, which meant I was stuck in bed for two months and had to lie on my stomach. My partner and I also broke up just before lockdown and I had some reconstructive surgery on my face. It was leftover damage from the car crash that I’d been putting off. Then there were complications after that. It was one thing after another.
How did you get into presenting?
A few months after my accident I was asked to go to Nicaragua with the BBC for their series Beyond Boundaries. Eleven disabled people went 220 miles across the jungle. I contracted amoebic dysentery, passed out and was rushed to intensive care. As a freshly made paraplegic, it was probably the most stupid thing I’ve ever done but also the most brilliant!
Have you ever been tempted to abandon the rat race like the people you meet in your TV series Living Wild?
I think about it on a daily basis! Part of me wants to buy a van and a dog, and disappear around the world and go on amazing adventures but I’ve got to a point in my career where things are the best they’ve ever been. I love my job. I would never give it up. Ideally, I’d like to combine the two and do a series about me travelling around the world in a van – that would be the dream!
What inspired your series?
After the pandemic, so many of us are thinking long and hard about our lives, reflecting on whether we’re living the best lives we can. I went to meet people who had already had that thought and changed their lives.
It must have been exciting to present your own series?
I think I’m one of the first female wheelchair users to ever have a show of their own. It’s the first series I’ve presented myself.
Which stories impressed you most?
The pandemic has made us reflect on whether we’re really living the best lives we can
I met a shepherdess. She didn’t have any money, she didn’t have any land or farming background, she was a mum and she worked as a dancer, yet she found a way to get her own flock of sheep and live her dream.
What have you learnt from the people you met?
Life is short and you only get one life. We can often overthink and jump to worst-case scenarios and stop ourselves from making changes. If you want to follow your heart or do the thing you love or make change, you’ve got to act first and think last. Go for it.
Tell us about your passion for motorbikes…
Before lockdown I bought a Ryker, a three-wheeled motorbike. It’s specially modified for me so it’s got a handbrake system. It’s the most liberating thing I own. I travelled around the country on that to make the series. I’ve taken it to more than 100mph. It’s proper, serious fun!
Do you ever think, ‘Why me?’
Yes. It’s not like it goes away. I’m living with a disability and I still get discriminated against. It happens all the time but I’ve got tougher and I feel I’m a wiser disabled person now.
Living Wild: How To Change Your Life is on All4