HOLIDAY PHOTOS
Crash amputee Leah is proud to pose in bikini
Ride crash victim Leah Washington
BRAVE Alton Towers crash victim Leah Washington has posted photos of herself in a bikini – proudly showing off her prosthetic leg.
The inspirational amputee, 19, looks relaxed in the pictures, taken as she enjoys a holiday with boyfriend and fellow crash victim Joe Pugh.
Leah told the Mirror she is putting the photos online, one at a time, in reaction to unrealistic images that bombard girls on social media and in magazines.
Soaking up the sun on a Spanish break with Joe, also 19, she revealed her body-confidence struggle after the 2015 crash.
She said: “I think everyone has some sort of body issues, no matter how big or small. Seeing pictures of young women on Instagram and in magazines doesn’t help, as they are mainly all edited.
“Since my accident I had many issues about how I felt about myself, the clothing I could wear and what people think. I have much more confidence now. I still obviously have my times when I feel low and clothing doesn’t look right.
“But I feel like I’m getting better and I just want to let girls know that they don’t have to look like the celebrities in magazines or Photoshopped pictures.”
Leah lost her left leg on the Smiler rollercoaster, along with fellow victim Vicky Balch, 21, when their car smashed into an empty one at the Staffordshire theme park in June 2015.
During her holiday with Joe she shared a moving post showing her prosthetic leg as she paddled in a pool. It has been liked more than 2,000 times and received dozens of comments praising her.
She wrote in the caption: “My body and life had changed forever and it is something I’m still getting used to.
“Going on holiday and wearing a bikini in front of so many other people was one of my biggest fears but now I’m starting to feel confident in my own skin (and bikini lol) and realise that every individual looks great in their own way.
“And don’t worry about what other people think, it’s irrelevant.”
She said that following fellow amputee Jess Quinn on Instagram helped her to become more body-confident after the horror crash. Australian Jess lost her leg to bone cancer when she was just nine and has amassed 157,000 followers on the photo-sharing site. Leah said: “Jess writes some inspiring things and I thought, ‘I want to be as confident as she is’. I read her stuff all the time on how she looks at life and I thought, ‘I want to do it’. I felt a bikini picture would be a great place to start to help people, like Jess helped me. “Everybody is unique and should be proud of that. I’d love to help others and that is my aim really. It not only helps them but helps me too.” The Pride of Britain winner shared another snap of herself in a green bikini as she drank a cocktail at Marbella’s luxurious Ocean Club. Joe had to undergo surgery and rehabilitation after the ride mangled his legs. The couple, from Barnsley, South Yorks, had to learn to walk again but have made an incredible recovery, earning them a legion of fans.