BACK IN THE SADDLE
Lorraine faces fears after fall
AFTER a terrifying fall that nearly claimed her life, Lorraine Kelly could have been forgiven for choosing to give horses a wide berth.
But the TV presenter has ‘faced her fears’ to get back in the saddle a decade after being hurt when she fell while taking part in a charity challenge.
She lost three pints of blood after the horse she was riding reared up and crushed her leg, leaving her with an eight inch scar and a fear of riding.
Now she has overcome her anxiety by getting back on board with the support of 14-time Paralympic gold medal-winning dressage rider Sir Lee Pearson.
Miss Kelly, 62, spent half an hour riding a horse named Zion under the supervision of Sir Lee and his experienced helpers.
She said she had put off taking up the reins again for several years, telling the Daily Record: ‘I was frightened about it. I kept thinking, “I really need to do this, it’s a new year, you should really do this”.
‘Then Covid happened and I’d make an excuse. But then I said to myself, “If I don’t do it now, I’ll never do it”.
‘When he started to walk I was like, “Oh my God”, but it was absolutely fine. I don’t think it is something I would do again but I feel I have faced my fears.’
Miss Kelly was riding at a charity event in 2012 when she fell. She was taken to hospital in London and had emergency surgery. The Scots presenter said: ‘I was so lucky. My surgeon was incredible.’