Blind Libby’s icy nerve to skate alone

PARTNERS

BLIND Paralympic sprinter Libby Clegg takes on her toughest Dancing on Ice challenge tonight – when she skates on her own.

And Libby, 29, is facing the sequence – where she skates away from pro partner Mark Hanretty – with the same courage that helped her overcome every other obstacle in life.

“It’s about changing perceptions and giving other blind people confidence,” said mum Libby.

She is used to people underestimating her – and even questioning whether she is visually impaired.

“When I tried to get on a bus in Edinburgh once, I had a pass which said I was blind – but the man told me off and said that I didn’t look blind. My comeback to that was, ‘You don’t look ignorant’.”

VICTIM

WHITE WEDDING Sara and Keegan tying the knot in 2011

THE EX-WIFE of Britain’s first openly gay rugby league player is urging Phillip Schofield’s wife to seek support.

Sara Wilson, 35, has two kids with Halifax prop Keegan Hirst, who came out in 2015.

She warned Steph to be ready for tough times. She said: “Steph and the girls may be fine this week but could be hit by a wave of anger, rejection and hurt.

“They are grieving for the life they have now lost, the future they thought they had and the pain from the loss will hit them for years to come. The ending of any marriage is a grief but when your partner comes out as gay, it heaps on another level of misery.

“Steph will go through phases where she is proud Phillip has been truthful to himself then angry at the pain and confusion he is putting them all through.

“It’s good to read Phillip acknowledges that but he can’t put a time limit on their hurt. They will accept his new life in their own time, not his.” She believes Steph may question what she meant to him, whether he loved her or if she became just a cover.

“She must seek support from her close friends and family and talk to others who have been through this. ”

Sara has a daughter Tayla, 11, and a son Fletcher, seven, with Keegan, 31, as well as Ryley, 15, with an ex-partner. Today they are friends again. Sara said: “I can stand on the touchline with my ex, chatting as we watch Fletcher play football. I hope Phillip and Steph get to this stage quicker than I did.”