ALTON TOWERS ‘Girlie’new me feel I’m
PULLING on a pair of strappy heels and a festive red dress, Vicky Balch is glowing with confidence.
Three-and-a-half years on from the Alton Towers crash that led to the loss of her right leg, the 23-year-old is in high spirits.
Despite lingering pain and emotional trauma, Vicky is thrilled to reveal her new £60,000 prosthetic limb which means she can finally slip on a pair of heels again this Christmas.
She says: “This is the final puzzle piece for me. It’s amazing to feel like a sexy, feminine woman again.
“It’s massively improved my confidence and lifted my spirits. This leg has made me feel like myself again.
“I can even paint the toenails. I’ve already bought five new pairs of shoes.
‘I can finally ask my friends to give me back the ones I gave away after my accident.”
The new leg has a special rotating heel that can be angled for higher shoes. It comes with a bespoke flower design – which Vicky says fits her “girlie, feminine” personality – and a sparkly pink cover.
This is the final piece in puzzle... it’s lifted my spirits massively VICKY BALCH TELLS HOW NEW LEG CHEERED HER UP
CARRIAGE
Her leg was amputated after she and 15 other riders were hurt in the 2015 Smiler rollercoaster crash. Their vehicle smashed into an empty carriage on the track. Alton Towers owner Merlin Attractions was fined £ 5million for safety breaches.
Vicky, meanwhile, suffers pain on a daily basis and may need a tenth operation, to replace metal-work in her leg.
At times she has been so low that she felt life wasn’t worth living – and even contemplated ending it all. So, understandably, she enjoys the good times as they come along.
And there’s another reason to be happy – she’s moved in with year- long boyfriend Dino Manciocchi, 25.
He is director of Valoriani UK pizza oven firm and they live in Preston with Dax the miniature dachshund and French bulldog Bear. Vicky says: “Dino is my best friend Christina’s brother. She reintroduced us at my 21st birthday party and it all started from there.
“It’s going really well, I’m really happy. But it must be hard for him when I have my bad days. He handles it so well. He helps me pick most of my outfits. He’s a manly man, but he has a good eye.”
Vicky trained as a beautician at university and now has her own firm – Victoria Jayne Beauty.
Before the accident, she used to proudly display her 100 pairs of heels at home. But after, she hid them in her garage or gave them to pals.
Finding the courage to dress up again was a daunting affair.
Vicky adds: “I remember when it first hit me that I couldn’t dress the way I used to. We were going to a family gathering. My mum took me to River Island and I chose a dress which I would have worn before the accident. It was strappy,