0:00:02 > 0:00:05This programme contains some strong language
0:00:05 > 0:00:10When he was out in Afghanistan, we thought it would be good to sort of do the old school thing.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12Like, write to each other.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14"Vicky, you amaze me.
0:00:14 > 0:00:15"You're the reason I was born.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18"You see that we are meant to be together forever and a day.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22"My love for my baby Vicky will never go away.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24"Even though it's stormy weather, we're going to be OK.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28"I know you're reading my letter and I've got something to say.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32"I love you, Vicky. You and me, forever and a day."
0:00:32 > 0:00:37That one I actually received after he got injured.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50Oh, my God.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52He's not got no legs. He's in a wheelchair now.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54What happens now?
0:00:54 > 0:01:00On 30 July 2009, Vicky Swales' world changed forever.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02And she was faced with a big decision,
0:01:02 > 0:01:05one that would be hard for anyone to make,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08never mind a 16-year-old schoolgirl.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12Could she, should she, stand by her man?
0:01:13 > 0:01:17This is the story of the choice she made.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19- Hat.- Hat?
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Beret, sorry.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41- See you later, Dad.- See you later.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45'It's been really hard for her.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49'Really hard. I honestly don't know how she copes.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52'Once every week or whatever,'
0:01:52 > 0:01:55I just sit there and just turn to Vicky and say,
0:01:55 > 0:01:59"Oh, Vicky, can I have a hug?" And I'll just end up crying.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05This is when you passed out.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Craig proposed to Vicky in July 2009. He was 18.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13She was just 16.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Three weeks later, he was back on tour in Afghanistan.
0:02:16 > 0:02:22On his first patrol after getting back, he was blown up by a wire-detonated bomb.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25I took about ten steps,
0:02:25 > 0:02:29and then just saw this white flash, and my face was stinging.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32All there was just stinging.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35And that's all I can remember.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Craig lost both legs and an arm,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45and became one of only four triple amputees in the military.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47There you are.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Right at the back.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Big nose.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54You did have a big nose.
0:02:54 > 0:02:55No, I haven't.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Look at that six pack.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02And you and me.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Look how tall I was.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Yeah, look how small I am!
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Its' five months since Craig was injured,
0:03:22 > 0:03:26and Vicky's decided to leave her parents' house to live with Craig
0:03:26 > 0:03:30in his home village of Woodlands, near Doncaster.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35'Obviously, a lot of people don't agree with me moving to Doncaster.'
0:03:35 > 0:03:39I can see that my mum and dad aren't exactly happy about it.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44'My dad, he's told my mum that I am too young.'
0:03:44 > 0:03:50Vicky's moving 40 miles down the road to where Craig's the local hero.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54I've lived here in that house all my life, really.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57So, you know everybody in the village.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02Basically, all the kids, and then their dads know each other because they went to the same schools
0:04:02 > 0:04:06or worked at the pit, so everyone knows everyone, really.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10If something happens, then it's just a really tight community.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Everywhere else is just a bit like Shameless, ain't it?
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Look after yourself, won't you?
0:04:17 > 0:04:18# Round my hometown
0:04:18 > 0:04:24# Memories are fresh
0:04:24 > 0:04:26# Round my hometown
0:04:26 > 0:04:30# Ooh, the people I've met... #
0:04:30 > 0:04:33That title, it just says it all for me.
0:04:33 > 0:04:39And I want people to know, you know, this is Craig that we know.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43See you later.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46# ..my world
0:04:46 > 0:04:49# Of my world
0:04:49 > 0:04:53# Yeah, of my world
0:04:53 > 0:04:57# Of my world
0:04:57 > 0:05:00# Yeah. #
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Got the keys yesterday at 8am.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09That's the front door key, I know that much.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14I'm not exactly expecting myself to be carrying loads of boxes because I know I can't.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17But, yeah, it's all right.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26At just 18 years old, Craig has bought a house.
0:05:26 > 0:05:31A compensation package for his injuries worth over £500,000
0:05:31 > 0:05:37has meant that he and Vicky have a kind of independence most teenagers can only dream of.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41We're new to this, so it's like we're obviously going to do a few things wrong,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45but as far as I'm concerned, I don't even know how to pay a bill, you know what I mean?
0:05:45 > 0:05:50- No, I don't know.- You don't know what you do, so I'm nervous about different things like that.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54- But you learn as you go along, don't you?- Yeah.
0:05:54 > 0:06:02And, like, bit weird to think that we're going to be in own house, innit, really?
0:06:02 > 0:06:03Our house.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Cor. It looks big without everything in it, doesn't it? Jesus.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20It echoes and everything.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26TV there. TV's going there.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Settee in the middle, all sofas here.
0:06:29 > 0:06:34Pictures all along the wall. God, it looks massive.
0:06:38 > 0:06:39I'm so excited now.
0:06:39 > 0:06:44First view. This is our first view of the front garden, isn't it?
0:06:46 > 0:06:48I just can't get my head round it.
0:06:48 > 0:06:49I really can't.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53This is it. This is our home now.
0:06:56 > 0:06:57Our home.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06It's the first day of their new life together,
0:07:06 > 0:07:10and, for Vicky, that means starting to live the life of a carer.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Even getting Craig to their bedroom is an effort.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18Right. One, two, three.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22You think he's going to weigh half as much because he's lost his legs,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26and then you just pick him up and you're just like...
0:07:26 > 0:07:28One, two, three.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33One, two, three.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37You're not full on, unable to lift.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41It's a bit like, you have to really get the strength in your legs
0:07:41 > 0:07:45and just be like, "One, two, three, huh."
0:07:45 > 0:07:49One, two, three.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51One, two, three.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56There you go, baby.
0:07:56 > 0:08:01- Can you bring my little wheelchair up, if you can?- I can do. Yeah.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08This is the very first time I've ever been in.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Yeah. It's nice.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17Do you want a lift into it?
0:08:17 > 0:08:21'I'm going to be Craig's carer, and with that,
0:08:21 > 0:08:24'it obviously entails me getting him up and ready in the morning,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28'doing his meals, doing the garden, doing all the chores.'
0:08:28 > 0:08:31He said that he's going to pull his weight as much as he can,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34cos obviously at the moment he can't do much because he's in a wheelchair.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37'He can maybe go around the living room with a duster or something.'
0:08:41 > 0:08:42No way.
0:08:42 > 0:08:47Hang on. One, two, three.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Oh, this floor's gorgeous.
0:08:53 > 0:08:54I know, isn't it?
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Vicky's mum Gay is standing by her daughter,
0:08:57 > 0:09:02but she knows not everyone agrees with the choice that Vicky has made.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05'People say, "Oh, she's only a young girl, she doesn't know what she's doing,
0:09:05 > 0:09:07'"she doesn't know what the future's holding,"
0:09:07 > 0:09:10'but does anybody know what the future holds?'
0:09:10 > 0:09:13I've lost a couple of friends cos they've actually said,
0:09:13 > 0:09:18"What sort of mother are you, letting your daughter do it?"
0:09:18 > 0:09:22But I can't believe it. I can't.
0:09:22 > 0:09:27As long as Victoria's happy. If Victoria wasn't happy, she wouldn't be there.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31She's got a nice lad and he's got a nice lass.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34It's Victoria's choice.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37It's going to be hard, it's not going to be a piece of cake.
0:09:37 > 0:09:42But you've got to give them the chance.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Vicky, you'll have to give me an hand.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Don't worry. I'm just sorting out Craig's meds. I'll be two seconds.
0:09:51 > 0:09:58Today, Vicky, Craig and Gay are picking up the last few finishing touches for the house.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00That's me list.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02You know, bits and bobs.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04What have we got on here?
0:10:04 > 0:10:08- Egg cup? - Yeah, you've got to get an egg cup.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12Hangers, blankets, rug.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14I like how you've put, "Hangers - millions."
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Yeah, we need millions for your clothes.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20- Mine?- Yeah, you've got more clothes than me.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27I like that one. I like that one.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30A little bin, Vicky, for t'bathroom?
0:10:30 > 0:10:33- Yeah, but...- For your girly stuff.
0:10:35 > 0:10:36Do you want any scales?
0:10:36 > 0:10:41I know, obviously, you won't be able to stand on them yet, but...
0:10:41 > 0:10:46When you walk into a clothes shop, right, what would a normal 16-17-year-old go to?
0:10:46 > 0:10:48All the clothes.
0:10:48 > 0:10:53Vicky and Craig have gone straight over to the other side of the shop
0:10:53 > 0:10:56to where the home things are.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58It's quite sad, actually.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04Craig?
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Ha ha, no.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Reverse.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14- Do you need a washing up bowl? - We've got a dishwasher.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20As well as his army compensation, Craig's been receiving donations from the public.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24And because she's now caring for him, Vicky can't work.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28A lot of people donated money.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30It really, really has helped.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34Obviously, at the moment, I'm unemployed and stuff,
0:11:34 > 0:11:39so me financially-wise, I'm not very stable. So it's helped a lot.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43You're not just like, "Oh, I'm getting this." You're not a gold digger.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Oh, no.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48I'd be embarrassed if I was.
0:11:52 > 0:11:57Craig may be desperately injured, but he's still proud to be a soldier.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02He spends four weeks out of six at a military rehabilitation unit in Surrey.
0:12:02 > 0:12:08For Vicky, saying goodbye to her fiance is something she's going to have to get used to.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Usually I just say bye to him when he's going to shops,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16or say bye to him and he's going to town for two minutes.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19And it's like, "Bye for five days."
0:12:19 > 0:12:24This time round, he's going to be in Headley Court for about six weeks,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27but then he's allowed home at weekends.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Will you get us me meds, please?
0:12:29 > 0:12:34Eight months after his accident, and Craig's still in a lot of in pain.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39Among the pills he packs are morphine and antibiotics for MRSA.
0:12:39 > 0:12:45It takes Vicky and Craig 20 minutes to put together the medication he needs for the five days he's away.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49I take a lot of nerve pain meds.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53Gavapentin, Pregabalin, Duloxetine.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55I'm on morphine still.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57I take about five in the morning,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00and then seven in the night.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11While Craig is off to rehabilitation,
0:13:11 > 0:13:17Vicky goes back to the one thing she keeps up from her old life, the Girl Guides.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19You start off as a normal Girl Guider,
0:13:19 > 0:13:23and you just... I went for fun just so I could be with my mates, you know what I mean?
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Games, go to camp or something.
0:13:28 > 0:13:33Going to Guides sort of gives me that, "Oh good, I've got one last thing that is still the same,"
0:13:33 > 0:13:35and it's been the same for however long.
0:13:35 > 0:13:42It's that one thing that I can say, "Oh yeah, I've kept up for about - what? - ten years of my life."
0:13:47 > 0:13:51I'm trying to keep it going because it's one of them kid things to do.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Right, I'm on my door peg.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56Tonight, I'm going to give everyone an update about Craig
0:13:56 > 0:14:02cos they've been raising money for Help for Heroes, which they chose because of my experience with Craig.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06My fiance was involved in an accident in Afghanistan.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08He's lost both his legs and his hand,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12and he's actually going in for his facial reconstruction
0:14:12 > 0:14:16cos he did have a few scars on his face from what happened,
0:14:16 > 0:14:20and they've just given him his little bionic hand sort of thing.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23So he's sort of known as the Bionic Man in a way now.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27Where is the hospital that he's being treated?
0:14:27 > 0:14:31It's called Headley Court, and it's down in London.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40It's the only place where it specialises in making people walk.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48When you first saw Craig, when he got home, how did you feel?
0:14:48 > 0:14:54It was one of them sort of moments where you think, "This is real, this is actually happening."
0:14:56 > 0:14:59- Comfy?- Yep.
0:14:59 > 0:15:04I was shocked, because you don't think it's going to happen, you know.
0:15:04 > 0:15:05You're sort of in a little bubble.
0:15:05 > 0:15:11Kept a brave face on in front of Craig, especially when he did wake up or anything, you always do.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14You always put a big smile on your face and act like everything's OK.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24I get on with it because I love him, in a way.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28Sorry to get all soppy and everything, but...
0:15:28 > 0:15:31How tough do you think it is for Craig at the moment?
0:15:31 > 0:15:34It ain't exactly easy, you know, obviously,
0:15:34 > 0:15:38in my situation. So I can't even think how hard it would be for Craig.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42Because, how I think of it is, for 18 years he's been walking.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Now he's actually been put into a wheelchair.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47You could tell with his eyes when he first woke up
0:15:47 > 0:15:51how hard it was for him to even think, "Oh God, this has happened to me."
0:15:51 > 0:15:55He deals with it in his own way and he just gets on with it,
0:15:55 > 0:16:00and just thinks, "Right, I'll be walking in a few months, but a bit differently."
0:16:00 > 0:16:05I can honestly guarantee that it is hard for someone to be put into that situation.
0:16:31 > 0:16:36It's the weekend, and Craig never misses an opportunity to see Vicky.
0:16:36 > 0:16:44This week, he's travelled 250 miles from Headley Court to see her at the caravan park where they first met.
0:16:45 > 0:16:50We were sat in my uncle's caravan, just sat there watching a bit of TV,
0:16:50 > 0:16:54and then someone text him saying, "What are you doing at the moment?"
0:16:54 > 0:16:57He says, "Oh, I'm with this amazing girl called Vicky."
0:16:57 > 0:17:01And then she goes, "Are you going out with her or something?" And he looked at me as if to say,
0:17:01 > 0:17:02"Well, do you want to?"
0:17:02 > 0:17:06And I was just like, "Well, it's up to you."
0:17:06 > 0:17:11Acting all cool and sort of normal about it, but inside I was just like giggling and everything.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14It was like, "Oh, yes, this might happen now!"
0:17:15 > 0:17:18He made you laugh like you've never laughed before,
0:17:18 > 0:17:23even though everybody made me laugh, yeah, but it was like a different laugh.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26He's gorgeous as well. He's got the full package.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29He makes me laugh and he looks good.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33And I just thought, "Yeah, this is it, this is Craig."
0:17:37 > 0:17:40So, you get to be comfy!
0:17:40 > 0:17:41Yeah, I am.
0:17:43 > 0:17:44Oh, yeah.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47I still look at where our caravan used to be, and I think,
0:17:47 > 0:17:55"Oh, my God, it's 7pm on 30th July, I found out that you'd been blown up." You know what I mean?
0:17:55 > 0:17:58So, for me, it's got the best memory and then...
0:17:58 > 0:18:02But the worst memory for the fact that I can sit there
0:18:02 > 0:18:05and I can actually still stare at the place where I found out.
0:18:05 > 0:18:11There's Victoria, and there's Craig.
0:18:11 > 0:18:17Craig's dad came round and just says, "Vicky, I think you should sit down.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22"He's seriously injured and he's been involved in a bomb."
0:18:22 > 0:18:26Oh, my God. I'm 16, and I'm dealing with this.
0:18:27 > 0:18:32I went and sat down on this bench that we always used to go sit at, me and Craig.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35I was just thinking, "Oh, my God.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38"He's got got no legs, he's in a wheelchair now.
0:18:38 > 0:18:44"What happens now? Is he still going to want to be with me?"
0:18:44 > 0:18:47She thought I was going to say, "Oh, I don't want you any more,"
0:18:47 > 0:18:51and I thought she was just going to say, "Oh, I don't want you any more."
0:18:51 > 0:18:55I was so scared that she was going to leave me.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Is he going to think, "You can do better than me now?"
0:18:59 > 0:19:04And I was just sat there going, "I don't want to leave him. I want us to be together."
0:19:04 > 0:19:09Nothing's going to break us apart now. It's actually made me feel stronger.
0:19:16 > 0:19:17Oh, you're kidding!
0:19:17 > 0:19:20- Can I borrow your hand, babe?- There?
0:19:20 > 0:19:21Yeah.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Watch me red. Oh!
0:19:28 > 0:19:29Ha-ha!
0:19:31 > 0:19:33Oh, yes.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Ha-ha. Cripple beat you!
0:19:38 > 0:19:43Craig's dream was always to become a windsurfing instructor.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46He's determined to learn to sail again.
0:19:46 > 0:19:52You don't see many people, as an amputee, on the lake, sailing. I never have.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55- You'll soon be out here windsurfing. - Yeah.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57- Oh, look at that spider.- Where?
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Get it out, get it out now!
0:20:00 > 0:20:03Seriously, there is one as well! Seriously. Craig, get it out!
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Just squash it, just squash it!
0:20:05 > 0:20:08Oh, my God! What else is in here?
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Crocodiles in this lake.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Little ones.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15I was like, "What?"
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Crocodiles really live in this lake(!)
0:20:20 > 0:20:24You just said it, and I'm meant to believe everything you say.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31Jesus Christ. I'm not Wonder Woman.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33You are. You're my Wonder Woman.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Nice. That was quite smoothly done.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42- I love you.- I love you, too.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49You've used this on your legs, haven't you?
0:20:49 > 0:20:51No!
0:20:51 > 0:20:53- Yes, you have.- Yeah, all right, then. Yeah.
0:20:54 > 0:20:59Vicky knows how sensitive Craig is about his facial injuries.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04The couple are going back to the hospital where Craig was brought after he was blown up
0:21:04 > 0:21:06for a consultation with his plastic surgeon.
0:21:06 > 0:21:12The reconstructive surgery, for Craig, I think is like the biggest thing out of everything.
0:21:12 > 0:21:18When he's socialising with friends, he's always looking away or looking down and stuff.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24- Does it hurt and stuff? - There it does.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27I personally don't think it's nothing bad or anything.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29I don't see anything wrong with his face.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34It's just he looks at himself and he looks at photos of him beforehand and he's just like,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37"God, I look so different. I can't wait for the surgery."
0:21:38 > 0:21:43While they're here, Vicky and Craig meet up with some of the nurses and military staff
0:21:43 > 0:21:46who helped them after Craig was first injured.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Hiya, mate. You all right?
0:21:48 > 0:21:51- Yeah, I'm fine. How are you? - I'm very well, thank you.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53- Good to meet you again. - Nice to see you as well.
0:21:53 > 0:21:59'On the night that Craig was brought in here, I was on duty as a military liaison officer.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02'Vicky came in, and the first time I really met her'
0:22:02 > 0:22:05she came bounding onto the ward and she did, you know,
0:22:05 > 0:22:07confess her undying love for this young fellow.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10He's more vain than me!
0:22:10 > 0:22:13You were ugly anyway, so it doesn't matter. Come on.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17Plastic surgeons can do anything nowadays. Orlando Bloom.
0:22:17 > 0:22:22'Straight away, she accepted the fact he was poorly,'
0:22:22 > 0:22:25she helped him in any way that he needed helping, whether it be,
0:22:25 > 0:22:29"I'll clean you, I'll do this, I'll do that."
0:22:29 > 0:22:33Nothing was out of the question. She was stalwart - very strong.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38And for such a young girl, exceptional for that age.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40And she became a tower of strength for him.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44I know you want it done, so it's best.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Will you still love me?
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Of course I will!
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Close your mouth a little bit.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56That scarring has settled very, very well, compared to how it was.
0:22:56 > 0:23:01I'm constantly amazed by how well the soldiers cope.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05It's in part of their make-up that they get on with things.
0:23:05 > 0:23:10It's very humbling to see them just take what's dealt out to them
0:23:10 > 0:23:14on the chin, so to speak, and then just get on with life.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16For Craig, it's his face that matters,
0:23:16 > 0:23:20but for Mr Evriviades, who operated on Craig after he was first injured,
0:23:20 > 0:23:24the real worry is what's left of his legs.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29I get up, but I'm in so much pain.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33Because he's so young, the bone in Craig' stump is still growing.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38It's now sticking out. And the pain it's causing is stopping him from learning to walk.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Sorry, Craig. Is that sore?
0:23:41 > 0:23:42Yeah!
0:23:42 > 0:23:46We'll try and trim away some of that excess bone and tissue.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50It's not the bone of the leg. It's new bone that's formed in the soft tissues.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Which we will take away.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57The stump is in a worse condition that his surgeon thought.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01He decides to bring the operation forward to the following week.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04And Craig will need to have an extra five inches taken off his leg.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07It very much depends on what I find when we get in there.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11- No complications, etc. - And also how delicate it all is.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16These aren't routine operations. I don't do any routine operations on soldiers.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19- No, right. That's brilliant. Thank you.- Bye-bye.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24That's good. Sorted.
0:24:27 > 0:24:33Far from being sorted, five weeks after his consultation, Craig is still in hospital.
0:24:33 > 0:24:41The operation doesn't go well, and Craig contracts MRSA and septicaemia in his stump.
0:24:41 > 0:24:42Victoria was crying on the phone.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47She says, "They're just being mean to Craig, they're just being mean and not letting him go."
0:24:47 > 0:24:52And I said to Victoria, this is what the difference in age...
0:24:52 > 0:25:00"You must understand, Victoria, that they're not letting him go because there's something really wrong."
0:25:00 > 0:25:05We never even visualised that anything would go wrong at all.
0:25:05 > 0:25:10We just literally thought, "Go in, sort it out, come home,"
0:25:10 > 0:25:12and that would be it.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14As doctors battle against his infections,
0:25:14 > 0:25:20Vicky knows that Craig's life is in the balance all over again.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25It's just been operation after operation after operation.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28There's been loads of stitches in and out.
0:25:29 > 0:25:34Victoria phoned me 13 times one day, upset.
0:25:34 > 0:25:41It's the not knowing, and then when people are saying that he's really, really, really ill,
0:25:41 > 0:25:43she was frightened.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48I said, You've got to think positive, Victoria, and you've got to be there for Craig."
0:25:48 > 0:25:53But she said to me, "Mummy, he's really, really ill."
0:25:53 > 0:25:57You think, "Oh, no, is he going to get out of this hospital?"
0:25:57 > 0:26:01You know, there's always that 1% of doubt.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05What if he just goes overnight?
0:26:05 > 0:26:11What if just he sleeps bad, and then you get told that news that it's not going to work?
0:26:11 > 0:26:17The nightmare of Craig's first hospitalisation has come back to haunt Vicky.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22There's two ways you can look at it.
0:26:22 > 0:26:30I look at it, I know it sounds bad, but the worst way, because I think that's where Craig nearly died.
0:26:36 > 0:26:43So, I see it as like, you think, "Well, we got told he might not make the next day,
0:26:43 > 0:26:45"we got told like he could die overnight."
0:26:45 > 0:26:49This hospital may be the place that saved Craig,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52but Vicky still finds it hard not to dread the place.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57I got really upset. It's just...
0:26:57 > 0:27:04I don't know. It's just one of them places I don't really want to visit back again.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11For the first time, Vicky's showing her mum the diary she made while Craig was in hospital.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13I just...
0:27:16 > 0:27:18..really don't like that place.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22'It's weird. You see so many injured lads.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25'You see so much there.'
0:27:25 > 0:27:29The only thing that keeps me sane is telling myself that he going to be all right.
0:27:29 > 0:27:34'It's the only thing that keeps me going, knowing that he's going to be all right,
0:27:34 > 0:27:37'after all these little things he's going to be all right.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40'So, yeah.'
0:27:40 > 0:27:42I didn't realise.
0:27:42 > 0:27:49I was really shocked, when you put that thing on the television, and you were just talking.
0:27:49 > 0:27:57I felt as if I'd let you down when I saw you was upset as you was.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00I've got to grow up and deal with things on my own, haven't I?
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Victoria, what do you mean, you've GOT to grow up?
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Cos I've got to be mature in this situation, haven't I?
0:28:06 > 0:28:08I've got to grow up, I've got to be an adult.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11Oh, don't you set me off.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14- Don't.- Sorry. I know.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20But you haven't failed me one bit.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22Look at you. You like...
0:28:22 > 0:28:27Look at other 16-year-olds, some of them in the same situation,
0:28:27 > 0:28:33look seriously, like, look from the back and say, "Look, anybody else would have just gone."
0:28:33 > 0:28:37Do you know what I mean? Some other people would have just gone.
0:28:39 > 0:28:46But I didn't, cos I've been brought up properly to face things and not just run away at the first hurdle.
0:28:46 > 0:28:51But you know, doesn't matter what it is, Vicky, you can tell me anything.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54- I know, I know. - And you can phone me 24 hours a day.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57Good job I've got minutes, innit?
0:28:59 > 0:29:01No, seriously.
0:29:01 > 0:29:06Craig's infections were finally controlled, and he was discharged.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10One month later, and Vicky's thrilled to have him back and feeling better,
0:29:10 > 0:29:14and she's organised a party to celebrate their engagement.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21We need the barbecue taken out of the garage, but I'll get the keys in a moment.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25It's actually absolutely amazing to finally celebrate it.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28Still people are like, "Oh, are you engaged?"
0:29:28 > 0:29:31It's a bit of a shame when people don't even know that we're engaged,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34so finally now it's like, official, it's proper now.
0:29:34 > 0:29:39But none of Vicky's friends have decided to come.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43We invited I think it was about 25 people originally.
0:29:43 > 0:29:48It's a bit upsetting that not more people from York are coming,
0:29:48 > 0:29:51cos not one person from York's coming at all, so....
0:29:51 > 0:29:56She was really upset yesterday about it, which ain't nice.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00She just feels, like, really lonely.
0:30:00 > 0:30:05But I don't want, like, it to seem like I've dragged her away from everything,
0:30:05 > 0:30:09like I've made it so she hasn't got not no friends or owt.
0:30:09 > 0:30:14I find it hard, like, knowing that your mates are a bit worried to see Craig,
0:30:14 > 0:30:20but there's all different types of getting used to it, isn't there, really?
0:30:20 > 0:30:25Cos not a lot of people are ready to see someone as injured as Craig.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28You know, it's not something you see every day, which I understand.
0:30:28 > 0:30:33It was hard enough for me, so imagine what it's going to be like for friends.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40It's going to start pouring down now.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42Don't jinx it!
0:30:42 > 0:30:46Vicky's getting a bit hectic and a bit stressed.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52Oh, it's raining! No! No!
0:30:55 > 0:30:58Right, plan B. The next room.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02I've gone through 33 packets of crisps now.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06I need balloons blowing up, everything. I need everything sorted now.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09I've just passed it like that because I haven't got time, Craig.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16It helps Craig, because it makes him feel like he's bit of a burden on me when, like, I say, like,
0:31:16 > 0:31:20"I'm stressed out, I'm tired and I've got too much to do."
0:31:20 > 0:31:22So when his mates are round it's like,
0:31:22 > 0:31:27I can get on with this whilst they have a laugh with him or summat.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31It's going to be good. It's going to be a good night.
0:31:32 > 0:31:38I mean, I'm 20 now and I haven't really grown up myself. You know?
0:31:38 > 0:31:42So I think they've done really, really well for growing up so quick like that.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44I don't think I would have been able to.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46I would have been in tears every day.
0:31:46 > 0:31:52Amazing. She's just stood by him, hasn't she, all the way through it? Unbelievable.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55I know a lot of people would have just walked away, but she hasn't.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58She's just stayed there all the time.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01Is that the kind of girlfriend you'd want?
0:32:01 > 0:32:02- Yeah.- Damn right!
0:32:07 > 0:32:11- Check?- Mirror going out and mirrors going in.- Well done.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15And then keep checking down the road, and it's 30 miles an hour.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17Tomorrow's a big day for Vicky.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20She'll be sitting her driving test, and has to hope she passes.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24She's already got herself a car.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27I've seen Google pictures. Peugeot 206!
0:32:27 > 0:32:30How excited are you out of ten?
0:32:30 > 0:32:31Ten! Definitely, yeah,
0:32:31 > 0:32:35because that's what I could be driving tomorrow night.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38Vicky and Craig can't just hop on a bus.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40They need a car to get around.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43For Vicky, driving's not just a teenage rite of passage.
0:32:43 > 0:32:49It's essential to be able to travel with Craig, and without Mum.
0:32:49 > 0:32:53- What happens if you don't like it? - I will. I definitely will.
0:32:53 > 0:32:54It's my first car, I've got to.
0:32:54 > 0:32:59Anything that's metal and four wheels and got an engine, I'll like it.
0:32:59 > 0:33:00It's my first car.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02Let's look for a...
0:33:02 > 0:33:04- 62 or something.- Peugeot.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06Ooh, is that it?
0:33:06 > 0:33:09Is that it? That is it as well! Oh!
0:33:09 > 0:33:12- Oh, it is!- Oh, it is, it is. You need to park up, Mam.
0:33:14 > 0:33:18Don't it look good? I must admit, it does look good!
0:33:18 > 0:33:22There's you asking if I wouldn't love it! I do!
0:33:22 > 0:33:27Oh, it's absolutely gorgeous!
0:33:27 > 0:33:29Oh, it is proper Quiksilver as well!
0:33:29 > 0:33:32Craig, have a ganders at this! Go past.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36Eh, you're getting good, Mam. Watch the paint!
0:33:36 > 0:33:40- Oh, cool!- Can't you get used to this?
0:33:40 > 0:33:42Me driving around!
0:33:42 > 0:33:45SHE IMITATES AN ENGINE
0:33:51 > 0:33:58- Rev it!- I don't want to. I don't want to, cos I don't want to break it, I don't want to snap anything.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01Jesus, Craig!
0:34:01 > 0:34:03- Put the clutch in.- No!
0:34:03 > 0:34:05Whoa, you've just done summat.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08- Was it sore?- No, lift that up again.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10No! No!
0:34:10 > 0:34:13Stop messing about. You're not allowed to mess about in this car.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16HORN BLARES
0:34:16 > 0:34:20Craig messing about. Sorry!
0:34:20 > 0:34:23Hypothetically, if I pass my test tomorrow,
0:34:23 > 0:34:25I can just take you to the caravan, can't I?
0:34:25 > 0:34:29I can just, right, pack all the stuff in back, get all your mates down, we'll go.
0:34:29 > 0:34:34Do you know what I mean, innit? I could get used to this!
0:34:36 > 0:34:41The next day, Vicky fails her driving test. It's another blow.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44Without her driving licence, she can't help Craig get around.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46This is... Oh, my God!
0:34:46 > 0:34:52But today she's going to meet the one person she feels she can talk to about the challenges she faces.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58- Hello! How are you?- All right!
0:34:58 > 0:35:04Vicky met Christine when her son was in the bed opposite Craig in critical care.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07'Her son had actually got injured out in Afghanistan.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11'He'd got injured, I think, a week before Craig.'
0:35:11 > 0:35:15It sounds horrible to say, but it's like, well, and I obviously just told her.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19I says, "Look, he's in there, he's lost both his legs," and all this,
0:35:19 > 0:35:23and she was, like, "My son's got..." And you sort of relate to each other through,
0:35:23 > 0:35:28to say, and I know it sounds awful, but, like, the worst story that you could tell someone.
0:35:28 > 0:35:33- How's your son doing? - Yeah, well, did you hear they're having another baby?- No!
0:35:33 > 0:35:37Yeah, so, erm, the blast didn't damage that bit!
0:35:37 > 0:35:38THEY LAUGH
0:35:38 > 0:35:43Christine is a grandmother, 30 years older than Vicky.
0:35:43 > 0:35:48But that doesn't stop her from having moments where she feels she can't cope.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51I was crying my eyes out as I was hoovering, but talking to myself -
0:35:51 > 0:35:56I was in the house on my own, and I'm going, "You're not going to die, you're not going to die.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58"God, you're not let going to let him die..."
0:35:58 > 0:36:01And I felt like I was losing my marbles. I did.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04And she knows how hard it is for Vicky.
0:36:05 > 0:36:10They put Craig in the bed opposite, and...oh, God, I can remember it like it was yesterday.
0:36:10 > 0:36:16He was so, so poorly, and I remember looking at him and thinking, "His poor mum."
0:36:16 > 0:36:17He looks like a little child.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21Well, he did look like a little boy in the bed. There was nothing there of him.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25- I could still cry about it now. Couldn't you?- Oh, yeah, I do. I have had the...
0:36:25 > 0:36:28- Nearly killed me.- Yeah, I bet.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32'I always remember her mum saying to me that she's worried
0:36:32 > 0:36:34'for her, worried that... is she strong enough to cope?
0:36:34 > 0:36:36'She's only a young girl.'
0:36:37 > 0:36:41Having two teenage daughters, if they were in that position,
0:36:41 > 0:36:43and being their mum, like Vicky's mum, I would
0:36:43 > 0:36:48be worried, and I would feel they'd taken on a huge thing.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53While the path Vicky has chosen isn't easy, she knows
0:36:53 > 0:36:57that back at Headley Court, Craig faces his own challenges.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01I thought you were going to bring him with you today, Craig.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05He's gone back to Headley Court. He went back on Sunday night.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07- He's gone back where?- Headley Court.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10That's where he learns to walk and everything.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18He was on his legs today. Cos he had the operation, didn't he?
0:37:18 > 0:37:23And that sort of changed his legs so they had to do everything again and start over,
0:37:23 > 0:37:26so they've said, like, he'll be walking perfectly
0:37:26 > 0:37:32in a good few months, but he'll be walking OK in a few weeks. You know, it's one of them sort of things.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34He says it's like riding a bike.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37Once you've cracked it, you can do it, but once you're learning
0:37:37 > 0:37:39it's like, "Ohhh..."
0:37:45 > 0:37:50Like the other soldiers at Headley Court, Craig starts on short legs
0:37:50 > 0:37:54in the hope that soon he'll be standing tall in full-length legs.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58Getting there takes a massive effort.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01- Cosa that, like, really hurts. - Yeah.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04And it just feels like as soon as you're on it, it's too painful.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07And I can't pull my hips forward, either, because of it.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09There. Right there kills.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14Everybody here's just, "Yeah, I'm going to do this tomorrow. I'm going to learn how to do this,
0:38:14 > 0:38:17I'm going to set myself challenges."
0:38:17 > 0:38:22You've got to be like that, though, or you'll just start plateauing, you'll stay at one level.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27Everything's effort. Everything is effort.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31Like, getting into my chair is so much effort it's unreal.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33You know, like...walking around
0:38:33 > 0:38:36on my stubbies is so much effort.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39Even getting up from laying down... Just so much effort.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43It's more... You use more energy, and that, don't you?
0:38:43 > 0:38:50Yeah, yeah, yeah. They say you use three hundred times more energy than when you've got legs.
0:38:52 > 0:38:56Craig's helped by the fact that everyone around him is in the same boat.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00But there's one thing HE has that many others don't.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03It's for a bit of attention...?
0:39:03 > 0:39:05INDISTINCT CONVERSATION ON OTHER END
0:39:08 > 0:39:09Is he talking to her now, is he?
0:39:10 > 0:39:16Every night for about three hours, I can't get to bloody sleep with him talking on t'phone.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19He really loves her. Talks about her all the time.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22He says to me he wouldn't be where he is now without her,
0:39:22 > 0:39:25so... Love story.
0:39:26 > 0:39:30I've heard about blokes that have got back with their injuries,
0:39:30 > 0:39:35and their girlfriend's split up with them cos of their injuries and stuff,
0:39:35 > 0:39:40so, yeah - she's a rock to him by t'sounds of it.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49With long stretches apart from each other, Vicky is left with
0:39:49 > 0:39:53time to think about her own future, and the possibility of a career.
0:39:53 > 0:39:59When you're 17 you think you'll leave school, you'll go to college, you're with your mates,
0:39:59 > 0:40:06learn how to drive and that's like, the fairy-tale story, but I'm not there, so I've missed out.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10All my old friends, they all have that one thing in common.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12They can all say, "Oh, look what happened today at college.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15"Look, this happened today at college."
0:40:15 > 0:40:18And obviously, I can't really include myself in that conversation.
0:40:19 > 0:40:25Vicky knows that whilst her life has put been on hold, the rest of the world has moved on.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28She's determined not to be left behind.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31She wants to sort herself out and move on.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35She's applied at quite a few different sixth forms.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38They've said, like, at Doncaster there's a place if I
0:40:38 > 0:40:42want it, but I'd have to obviously go through the process of it, obviously.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46I'm excited about actually making the decision to
0:40:46 > 0:40:50buckle down and sort out my education, and get things sorted now.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02Today we're having a May fair.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05It's like, going on a parade through the village.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10I know every lad my age round here, and younger.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14I think most of the community'll be out there as well, so, like, they'll want to see me.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25People are there, so happy to see him, cos you look around and
0:41:25 > 0:41:28everyone's there with big smiles on their faces.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31He's a local lad who's been living here all his life.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35They're so proud of what he did, cos he's served his country from such
0:41:35 > 0:41:40a young age, so I think just people are proud to know that he's from where they are.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42Hi!
0:41:42 > 0:41:47It makes him feel, like, happy that people are all right with him.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51At the parade, Craig's enjoying his moment in the limelight.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53One, two, three...
0:41:54 > 0:41:57- Thank you. Thanks, Craig. - That's all right.
0:41:57 > 0:42:02Among those who want to meet him is a guest speaker from the States.
0:42:02 > 0:42:07Even in his time at Headley Court, Craig has never met anyone with a condition quite like Jeff's.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10- So, how long have you been an amputee?- I was born this way.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13- Oh, was you? - Yeah. I was born with no arms.
0:42:13 > 0:42:14Oh, nightmare.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17Have you got erm... a bio-electric arm?
0:42:17 > 0:42:19- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21Yeah, that's bio-electric.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23I actually have a hand. In the bus.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25Oh, yeah, I'm getting one. That's good.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28They're really good at gripping, aren't they?
0:42:28 > 0:42:31My left arm, I can't tense my bicep or tricep yet.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34- So you're below the elbow. - Yeah. Yeah.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36See, I'm above the elbow.
0:42:36 > 0:42:41I don't have an elbow, at all. So my whole arm goes only up to here.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43Oh, yeah, yeah.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45That is awesome, innit?
0:42:45 > 0:42:48Yeah. It's amazing what they can do.
0:42:48 > 0:42:52- PA:- Ladies and gentlemen, if you'd make your way over to the main arena in the church,
0:42:52 > 0:42:55the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire will open the festival.
0:42:55 > 0:43:00This is awesome. You've got neater handwriting than me!
0:43:00 > 0:43:01- You keep it up, Craig. - Yeah, same to you.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05- God bless you. You're a masterpiece. - Brilliant.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08And in the crowd, there's a surprise guest...
0:43:08 > 0:43:10Evo! Fuckin' hell.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12How's it going, bud?
0:43:12 > 0:43:15..Craig's old squaddie mate Evo.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17- How are you?- Yeah, I'm good.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20- Why have you come down, then? - Just for this.
0:43:21 > 0:43:25- Wow. That's nice.- I've just been following you up the road.- Have you?
0:43:25 > 0:43:28What have they said back at battalion, that it's all right for you to go?
0:43:28 > 0:43:31Yeah, yeah. They've authorised it, they've cleared it.
0:43:31 > 0:43:36Evo and Craig were really good friends, cos they went out to Afghanistan together.
0:43:36 > 0:43:42Evo was one of the first people to go and see Craig when he did get blown up. They can talk for hours
0:43:42 > 0:43:45about different things that happened in Afghanistan,
0:43:45 > 0:43:49and they can laugh about it. I'd be like, "How can you laugh about it?"
0:43:50 > 0:43:53Do you want me to put it up...?
0:43:53 > 0:43:56'His injuries were too serious, so it was strictly like,
0:43:56 > 0:44:00'just medical staff who were allowed to visit him.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02'So I found that hard, the fact that I knew
0:44:02 > 0:44:04'he was nearby, and he was injured,
0:44:04 > 0:44:08'but I couldn't go and see for myself that he was OK.'
0:44:08 > 0:44:12When he was injured, it was hard. Cos he's like a little brother.
0:44:16 > 0:44:22The last time Evo saw Craig walking, Craig was six foot four inches tall.
0:44:28 > 0:44:32I was in er... They'd loaded me with morphine and that,
0:44:32 > 0:44:35and it was the last day I was in critical care.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38Everyone'd be telling me, like, "Oh, you've lost your legs."
0:44:38 > 0:44:42The doctors came and explained what had happened, and I was just like that...
0:44:42 > 0:44:46looking round. Everyone had their legs and that. I thought, "No way. This isn't happening."
0:44:46 > 0:44:49And then I started crying my eyes out, proper roaring.
0:44:49 > 0:44:53Laid in bed like that - "Why has he got legs?
0:44:53 > 0:44:56"Why has HE got legs? Why has HE got legs?!"
0:44:56 > 0:45:01It was horrible, mate. But er...yeah, I've got over it.
0:45:01 > 0:45:05I think the best bit was when you were going on about "I've still got my willy!"
0:45:05 > 0:45:06CRAIG LAUGHS
0:45:06 > 0:45:09Yeah, I was saying to all t'nurses, "I ain't got it."
0:45:09 > 0:45:13"Yes, you have! It's there." "No, I haven't."
0:45:13 > 0:45:17Then they just put a mirror there and I was, like..."I have!"
0:45:18 > 0:45:20I was happy.
0:45:20 > 0:45:25When people ask me how many got injured... "Me."
0:45:25 > 0:45:28"Yeah, how many more?" "Me."
0:45:28 > 0:45:30"Well, how many died?"
0:45:30 > 0:45:33"No-one. It was just me.
0:45:33 > 0:45:35"I took the full force of it.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37"I took one for the team."
0:45:40 > 0:45:43'Craig hasn't changed much at all in the past year.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46'His life's changed, he hasn't changed.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48'He's just been put in a more grown-up situation.'
0:45:49 > 0:45:54But he's dealt with it just the way he would have done beforehand.
0:45:54 > 0:45:55It was good to see you.
0:45:56 > 0:45:57Nice to see you, mate.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02Right, see you later!
0:46:12 > 0:46:18For Vicky and Craig, catching up with Evo has been a welcome relief from the daily grind.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21Would you like me to lift you?
0:46:21 > 0:46:24- Nah. You'll hurt your back.- Good.
0:46:27 > 0:46:32I'm doing, like, four times as much as I was doing a few years ago, and it's just, like...
0:46:32 > 0:46:36Cos I'm obviously constantly lifting him, moving him about,
0:46:36 > 0:46:38running around after him.
0:46:38 > 0:46:39Just keep on going, keep on going,
0:46:39 > 0:46:42and then, like, at the end of the month
0:46:42 > 0:46:46I'll just be like...I'm absolutely exhausted, where I'm ill.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50So I like, look forward to going to bed! You know.
0:46:50 > 0:46:51Like, finally sleep.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54But I'm doing it for Craig.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57I worry about his welfare before mine.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00Effort. Everything's an effort. Everything.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03Even looking at people - effort.
0:47:05 > 0:47:09Imagine if this was as slow as everyone walked.
0:47:09 > 0:47:13I've just realised, like, it is going to be harder than it was before.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16We think he's going to have more operations on his other legs,
0:47:16 > 0:47:18he's going to have more operations on his arms
0:47:18 > 0:47:23cos he can't move one of them, and... You know, there's so much more to deal with.
0:47:24 > 0:47:28It's hard. It's really hard. And whoever thinks it's easy,
0:47:28 > 0:47:30they're really wrong!
0:47:30 > 0:47:34One, two, three...
0:47:34 > 0:47:38It's a challenging new world for Vicky, but being engaged
0:47:38 > 0:47:42to an injured young soldier also brings some unexpected surprises.
0:47:42 > 0:47:49Today, the couple have been invited to London to appear on a daytime TV show.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52It's the first time Vicky has ever been to the capital.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57I'm really excited about going. I've never gone out of York,
0:47:57 > 0:47:59and it's like...
0:47:59 > 0:48:04I'm going to a new place, I'm going to London. This is like, amazing for me!
0:48:08 > 0:48:14When they get to the station, the train manager hears Craig's story and upgrades him to first class.
0:48:15 > 0:48:21For Vicky, it's a glimpse of the hero's treatment her fiance sometimes receives.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23It's nice, isn't it?
0:48:25 > 0:48:29This is weird. This is weird, Craig. This is a good weird, though.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34(This is a bit too posh for me, don't you think?)
0:48:34 > 0:48:36This is what you are to me, baby -
0:48:37 > 0:48:39first class.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41- Aww! Thank you, baby.- Ha-ha.
0:48:47 > 0:48:50You swirl your tea without hitting the sides.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52SPOON CHINKS
0:48:54 > 0:48:58- That's going to be one of them pet hates I have about you!- What?
0:49:02 > 0:49:06- Are we in London, then?- Don't know.
0:49:08 > 0:49:09Oh, my God, it's busy.
0:49:09 > 0:49:12This is what it's like. There's a Burger King...
0:49:13 > 0:49:15Red telephone boxes!
0:49:15 > 0:49:17Look at the massive buildings.
0:49:17 > 0:49:20Red buses! Told you there was red buses!
0:49:20 > 0:49:25- You know the noise of London?- Yeah. That's the noise of London.
0:49:25 > 0:49:27MUSIC: "LDN" by Lily Allen
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Oh, my God.
0:49:37 > 0:49:38Now, this is busy.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45This is mental, Craig...
0:49:51 > 0:49:54Bit like playing Monopoly, but real live Monopoly.
0:49:57 > 0:49:59Oh, this is going to be fun.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02- Excuse me, mate.- Excuse me...
0:50:02 > 0:50:03Sorry if I caught you.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05Sorry...
0:50:07 > 0:50:10You don't realise how big London is.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12It's huge!
0:50:12 > 0:50:16How can people not get lost? Seriously...!
0:50:16 > 0:50:19There's one place in particular that Craig and Vicky want to see
0:50:19 > 0:50:23while they're here - the Cenotaph memorial.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25It's all the different flags of countries...
0:50:25 > 0:50:31This is where World War One and Two... They've been, like, been buried here and stuff.
0:50:31 > 0:50:33It's one heck of a place.
0:50:33 > 0:50:35Everybody who got injured -
0:50:35 > 0:50:39you've come close to nearly dying, you know what I mean?
0:50:39 > 0:50:41We nearly lost you.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43I know.
0:50:43 > 0:50:47I know it sounds horrible, but you're one of the lucky ones.
0:50:49 > 0:50:51- I'm lucky, but I'm not that lucky. - Oh, yeah,
0:50:51 > 0:50:55you're not the luckiest person in the world, but...
0:50:55 > 0:50:59just a lot of respect goes out there for everybody else.
0:51:03 > 0:51:07- It bit overwhelming, really, isn't it?- Are you all right?
0:51:07 > 0:51:09- What?- Are you all right?- Yeah, yeah.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17I don't know where we're going. So I don't know if I'm crossing the road or what.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19- Haven't got a clue.- Oh - no, it's...
0:51:19 > 0:51:21Well, there's This Morning...
0:51:21 > 0:51:24They've arrived at the This Morning studios.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28All they've got to do now is find the disabled access.
0:51:31 > 0:51:35- Where's Vicky?- She's just in there getting her make-up done. - Hello, Vicky!
0:51:35 > 0:51:39Backstage, Vicky and Craig rub shoulders with the celebs -
0:51:39 > 0:51:43and for Craig, there's an unexpected connection to one famous name.
0:51:43 > 0:51:46- Just want to say hello to this man. - Craig, this is Piers.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49- How are you, mate?- Hi, Piers. - Good to see you.
0:51:49 > 0:51:50- Hi, how are you?- I'm good.
0:51:50 > 0:51:54My brother's in Afghanistan at the moment. He's with the Royal Welch.
0:51:54 > 0:51:56- Where were you, in Helmand? - Yeah, Sangin.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59- My brother said it's tough down there.- Yeah, it's horrible.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02- And when were you out there? - Er...last April.
0:52:02 > 0:52:04April the 28th, wasn't it? Three days after his 18th.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07Yeah... Nice birthday present.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10Hello! Nice to meet you.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13- Hi - Amanda. Lovely to meet you. - Craig and Vicky...
0:52:13 > 0:52:14Hello, lovely to meet you.
0:52:14 > 0:52:18- How did you two meet? - At a caravan site.- Oh, really?
0:52:18 > 0:52:19Really romantic, yeah(!)
0:52:19 > 0:52:20It's really nice.
0:52:20 > 0:52:26- You chose that one, didn't you? He chose that by himself. - Oh, well done! Good choice!
0:52:26 > 0:52:27Oh, my God...
0:52:27 > 0:52:33Oh, my God, Mum, right, we've just had a conversation with Piers Morgan, AND Amanda Holden!
0:52:33 > 0:52:36Oh, Mum, I can't even explain it...
0:52:37 > 0:52:40Just how starstruck I am!
0:52:41 > 0:52:43Come on through...
0:52:46 > 0:52:50Nine, eight, seven, six, five,
0:52:50 > 0:52:53four, three, two, one.
0:52:53 > 0:52:55On the promo.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58- EAMONN:- Craig's dreams of fighting for his country were shattered
0:52:58 > 0:53:00when he was hit by a roadside bomb.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03He lost both his legs, and he had to have an arm amputated.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07It is delightful to see you both - and as Eamonn said this morning, this is a love story...
0:53:07 > 0:53:11Before he was blown up, Craig sent a letter to Vicky's mum Gay.
0:53:12 > 0:53:18It was only after she heard of his injuries, that Gay found the letter on her doorstep.
0:53:18 > 0:53:23"Me and Vicky are very, very happy together, and I miss her very much.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25"I'm glad that...
0:53:25 > 0:53:27"I'm glad that Vicky..." Sorry.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31"I'm glad that Vicky said yes to my proposal, even though we're very young.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35"I'd like to think as a couple we're quite mature."
0:53:35 > 0:53:38What did you think about going out with a soldier?
0:53:38 > 0:53:41Well, at the time, it was sort of like I was in a little bubble.
0:53:41 > 0:53:45I was thinking, "Oh, I'm going out with a man in uniform. He's my soldier."
0:53:45 > 0:53:47You don't think about the danger.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50- You're quite proud. - Yeah, I was proud of him.
0:53:50 > 0:53:53"I love your daughter with every bit of my heart.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56"Life without her would be very dull and boring.
0:53:56 > 0:54:01"I think it's safe to say we are a couple. We complete each other."
0:54:01 > 0:54:05- Why did you stay?- I loved him before he went out, and I just knew that
0:54:05 > 0:54:06I wanted to stay with him.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09- But he gave you the choice? - Yeah, he gave me the choice.
0:54:09 > 0:54:11- Did that make you love him more? - Yeah.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14"And I just want to thank you
0:54:14 > 0:54:17"for having such an amazing daughter.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19"Thanks for being supportive, Gay,
0:54:20 > 0:54:24"and really being generally cool. Love, Craig."
0:54:25 > 0:54:28You've been both an inspiration.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31Absolutely beautiful love story, and every success to you, Craig.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35But not every love story always has a happy ending.
0:54:36 > 0:54:42It's been almost 12 months since Craig's accident - and a year is a long time when you're a teenager.
0:54:42 > 0:54:46Far more, when something has happened to change your life forever.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50- Been a roller coaster, hasn't it, really?- Yeah.
0:54:50 > 0:54:52- Hasn't gone smoothly, but... - Grown up much more.
0:54:52 > 0:54:56- We're just, er... - Well, we've dealt with a lot.
0:54:56 > 0:54:58Can I have a nice hug? Nice hug...
0:55:01 > 0:55:07He's not the same person as he was, like, two years ago physically - but he is mentally.
0:55:07 > 0:55:11Like, this is still Craig, it's just he's got wheels instead of legs.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14Might as well buy some crisps...
0:55:14 > 0:55:18As Victoria said to me, it's not always dark at six o'clock.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21And I couldn't understand what she meant by that.
0:55:21 > 0:55:24But it's true. There's the light at the end of the tunnel.
0:55:24 > 0:55:29But obviously, you can't map out what's going to happen to your kids.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32We don't know what's round the corner.
0:55:36 > 0:55:40For her to stay with me is just... it's just amazing.
0:55:41 > 0:55:46I mean, how many other 17-year-olds have got a boyfriend who's a triple amputee?
0:55:46 > 0:55:49So yeah, it's...a bit hard.
0:55:50 > 0:55:52That's life, though, innit?
0:56:31 > 0:56:33Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:56:33 > 0:56:35E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk