23/01/2012

:00:01. > :00:08.have completely and utterly ruined the last two-and-a-half years of my

:00:09. > :00:13.life. At loggerheads, the Newcastle College whose A star reputation is

:00:13. > :00:16.under fire. It is the systems and procedure nas are wrong and until

:00:16. > :00:23.they are put right, this type of bullying and harassment will carry

:00:23. > :00:29.on. And going for gold. Teesside's Chris Tomlinson on the price of

:00:29. > :00:33.loping for success at the London Olympics. Taking it one step at a

:00:33. > :00:36.time. I have a chance and ultimately a medal is a medal.

:00:36. > :00:46.Story from the heart of the North East and Cumbria. This is Inside

:00:46. > :00:54.

:00:54. > :00:58.It is an anxious time for the thousands of women who have had

:00:58. > :01:04.breast implants. But we have discovered one trust in our region

:01:04. > :01:07.has carried out over a fifth of all NHS operations, using the

:01:07. > :01:11.controversial PIP implant. And a surgeon at the same trust raised

:01:11. > :01:18.the alarm about these products five years ago. But the women at the

:01:18. > :01:22.heart of this story weren't told. They are fews you. Health fear

:01:22. > :01:27.overs tens of thousands of breast implants found to have a risk of

:01:27. > :01:32.rupturing. Will I feel sick when I think about t. It was scary. I

:01:32. > :01:36.wanted them to listen. Having these implants have completely and

:01:36. > :01:40.utterly ruined the last two-and-a- half years of my life. Three women

:01:40. > :01:45.whose lives have been ripped apart by something that was supposed to

:01:45. > :01:48.make them feel good about themselves. They have all had PIP

:01:48. > :01:52.breast implants, 40,000 women nationally have had the implants

:01:52. > :01:56.fitted, 95% of them in private clinics. What is clear from

:01:57. > :02:02.speaking to these women, is the sheer anguish. They feel violated

:02:02. > :02:07.that they are a victim of crime. And then is the fear of the unknown.

:02:07. > :02:13.Are they being poisoned? Cumbrian land lady Claire got a loan tout

:02:13. > :02:18.have a breast enhancement at a private medical clinic in 2006.

:02:19. > :02:24.was just such a confidence boost. I can now, I can wear nice clothes

:02:24. > :02:27.and not hide under the paingy T- shirts and sweatshirts, which I

:02:27. > :02:31.used to. Like thousands of other women Claire found out she had been

:02:31. > :02:35.fitted with PIP implant, which were banned when they were found to

:02:35. > :02:39.contain industrial grade silicon once the scandal broke out over

:02:39. > :02:41.Christmas. France agrees to pay thousands of women to have breast

:02:41. > :02:46.implants removed. Though the Government here insists they are

:02:46. > :02:55.safe. To find out that I've got this, this silicon that is supposed

:02:55. > :02:59.to be used in mattress, it is an outrage. You can't imagine what it

:02:59. > :03:04.feels like to know that this stuff is in your body, and it is not

:03:04. > :03:08.supposed to be there. Claire has been left in limbo by his private

:03:08. > :03:13.provider. Conversely all NHS patients, about 2,000 women in all,

:03:13. > :03:18.have been told they can have their implants removed for free, and if

:03:19. > :03:23.clinically necessary, replaced. But some feel equally let down. One

:03:23. > :03:27.woman I spoke to said during a consultation a surgeon demonstrated

:03:27. > :03:31.the safety of the implants by repeatedly jabbing it with a pen.

:03:31. > :03:37.He was so confident he said, in fact, if ever she was stabbed, it

:03:37. > :03:40.could save her life. Imagine how she feels now. Fay from County

:03:41. > :03:46.Durham was unhappy the appearance of her breast after having two

:03:46. > :03:51.children. I didn't like the shape of my breast, it didn't look like a

:03:51. > :03:55.boob. They looked empty. I wanted it to look like a boob, and I went

:03:55. > :04:00.to the doctor and asked and he said I'll send you to a plastic surgeon.

:04:00. > :04:06.I went to one and he said I will give you a new set. About 14 months

:04:06. > :04:10.after the operation on the NHS in Durham, Fay was worried one of her

:04:10. > :04:14.implants had split. I was looking at my breasts at the time. I

:04:14. > :04:20.noticed it did have a tiny bleb underneath. I went to my doctors

:04:20. > :04:24.and said, do you think I could have, it could have ruptured. They tried

:04:24. > :04:29.to put her mind at ease. There is no way they will rupture. They are

:04:29. > :04:34.like a Turkish delight. If you cut them in half, they can't fall apart.

:04:34. > :04:39.It solid gel. I think they thought I was a nut e I was mad. They

:04:39. > :04:44.thought she is neurotic. They said I was reading into things too much.

:04:44. > :04:49.Then I was starting to think am I? I thought I was going round the

:04:49. > :04:53.bend. It was scary. I just wanted them to listen. What Fay didn't

:04:53. > :05:01.know, was that the surgeon who carried out the original operation,

:05:01. > :05:08.pictured here, had written a letter, published in the plastic surgery

:05:08. > :05:14.journal, flagging up concerns. Brook Berry reported how a woman

:05:14. > :05:18.was referred to him with a lump in her right armpit. An exploration of

:05:18. > :05:28.the right breast, I found there was a huge tear in the shell of the

:05:28. > :05:45.

:05:45. > :05:49.He is retired but a colleague believes the regulator should have

:05:49. > :05:53.investigated further. The correct scientific way of pursuing this

:05:53. > :05:57.would be to make the authorities aware and if there were any more

:05:57. > :06:00.incidents to collect the patient load and to investigate that

:06:00. > :06:05.further. In other words, proper analysis of all the medical data,

:06:05. > :06:11.to establish if there was a wider problem. But the implants weren't

:06:11. > :06:16.banned under 2010. Three years later. And only after the alarm was

:06:16. > :06:20.raised in France. This surgeon stopped using them in 2008.

:06:20. > :06:24.Berry and I had a separate discussion regarding this as we

:06:24. > :06:29.were colleague, on the back of his unsatisfactory experience with the

:06:29. > :06:33.implant, this is one of the reasons that led me to stop using them,

:06:33. > :06:39.among other factors as well. A new implant manufacture had released a

:06:39. > :06:43.very good quality implant with a lifelong guarantee, plus it had a

:06:43. > :06:47.different feel quality which was more attractive and more appealing

:06:47. > :06:53.to patients. But that did and help past patients like Fay, whose worst

:06:53. > :06:58.fears were coming true. I did get an MRI, I had to wait, and I got an

:06:58. > :07:03.MRI and got the results back and the left implant had ruptured. They

:07:03. > :07:08.found I had two lumps underneath. September 2008, less than two years

:07:08. > :07:13.having the implant, Fay had them removed. Bs So when they removed

:07:13. > :07:19.them, what did they find? A mess. That's what the doctor said, a mess.

:07:19. > :07:25.And two golf ball sized limp nodes, full of this silicon. So they said

:07:25. > :07:31.they used two litres of saline to wash it out or clean it out. Fay is

:07:31. > :07:37.one of 412 women who had their PIP implants fitted by surgeons on the

:07:37. > :07:41.NHS in County Durham, between 2001 and 2007. With a total of 2000

:07:41. > :07:46.patients across the country having PIP implants on the NHS, that puts

:07:46. > :07:49.Durham near the top of list, according to the latest data.

:07:49. > :07:52.County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust turned down our

:07:53. > :07:57.request to appear on Inside Out. In a statement it told us that PIP

:07:57. > :08:01.implants were selected by their predecessors because of their

:08:01. > :08:05.clinical suitability. Quality, and cost. The implants had a European

:08:05. > :08:13.quality mark. O surgeons at the trust have used different implants

:08:13. > :08:18.since 2008. Angela is another of Durham's patients. She beat breast

:08:18. > :08:22.cancer twice and had implants fitted. She recovered, but started

:08:22. > :08:28.feeling ill two years ago. I'm -- my health was going down and down.

:08:28. > :08:35.At that stage I was off work for six months, because I couldn't walk

:08:35. > :08:39.from the living room to the kitchen. I just had difficulty doing. I

:08:39. > :08:44.decided, because I was having difficulty getting up the stair, I

:08:44. > :08:49.would have to sell my house. I handled the breast cancer, it was

:08:49. > :08:53.not a problem to me. But that was far easier to cope with than what

:08:53. > :08:57.I've gone through the last two-and- a-half years. Laing is convinced

:08:57. > :09:02.the implants are to blame for her poor health. She found out last

:09:02. > :09:09.year, one implant had split, and saw a plastic surgeon in Durham in

:09:09. > :09:16.December. He put me on a six month waiting list. I asked if the

:09:16. > :09:20.silicon could seep into my system and he said no. So, I accepted that.

:09:20. > :09:24.Didn't worry, no problem. Until four days later in a national

:09:24. > :09:31.newspaper, I read the first article I had read about these implants,

:09:31. > :09:36.then I started to worry. We showed her Mr Berry's letter published in

:09:36. > :09:42.a medical journal four-and-a-half years ago. I had no idea about this

:09:42. > :09:48.report by Mr Berry, in 2007. I am just astounded. Astounded that

:09:48. > :09:52.nothing has been done. I'm angry, very angry. Everyone who had these

:09:52. > :09:57.implants should have been contacted, and offered to have an ultrasound

:09:58. > :10:02.scan, to check the implants and to make certain they were THE fine.

:10:02. > :10:07.Angela is now at the top of the waiting list to have her leaking

:10:07. > :10:11.implant taken out. The trust told us its surgeons monitor rupture

:10:11. > :10:15.rates and this isolated case reported by Mr Berry did not give

:10:15. > :10:19.rise to patient safety concerns within the trust. It added the

:10:19. > :10:25.rupture rate is extremely low. The trust says it has written the all

:10:25. > :10:30.women with PIP implant, and has set up an advice line. Fay has had five

:10:30. > :10:34.lymph nodes loaded with discharged silicon removed. But she still has

:10:34. > :10:40.silicon in her body. You have had the implants out now, but this

:10:40. > :10:46.isn't over for you, is it? I have aching pains under my arges I have

:10:46. > :10:50.pains that go down like nerve pains in my arms, I have pains in my

:10:50. > :10:55.bones. I get really bad headache, comes on and my glands will all

:10:55. > :10:58.come up in my neck. I want to know how much silicon is still left in

:10:58. > :11:03.my body. I want answers now and I think I deserve them. The trust

:11:03. > :11:06.accepts it is a worrying time for patient, but insist there's is no

:11:06. > :11:10.clear evidence to suggest women with PIP implants need urgent

:11:10. > :11:14.treatment. And referrals to see a plastic surgeon are being treated

:11:14. > :11:19.as routine. For the women we have talked to, that may not be enough

:11:19. > :11:22.to put their minds at rest. And if you have been caught up in the

:11:22. > :11:32.breast implant debate it will be good to hear from you. You can e-

:11:32. > :11:33.

:11:33. > :11:38.mail me in confidence. It is one of the largest and most successful

:11:38. > :11:42.colleges in the UK. With an outstanding reputation for academic

:11:42. > :11:46.excellence. So, why do so many of Newcastle College Groups critics

:11:46. > :11:51.say it has little time for those that stand in its way. And, a

:11:51. > :11:56.problem with bullying. The college says they are biased and are

:11:56. > :11:59.conducting a campaign against it so what is really going on? Choose a

:11:59. > :12:03.path. Choose a direction. Newcastle College's ads highlight its

:12:03. > :12:07.reputation for quality service, which is backed by a prized Ofsted

:12:07. > :12:11.grade one inspection. It is the centrepiece of Newcastle College

:12:11. > :12:16.group, or NCG. It is one of the largest education and training

:12:16. > :12:21.organisations in the UK. But it is claimed what the ads don't say is

:12:21. > :12:27.that at as it is has grown so has the critic. These people seem to

:12:27. > :12:31.just think they are ride rough shod over anybody that could come in,

:12:31. > :12:36.disregard people's view, I think it is systems and procedures that are

:12:36. > :12:40.wrong. Until they are put right, this type of bullying and

:12:40. > :12:43.harassment will carry on. We have spoken to large numbers of staff,

:12:43. > :12:47.student, past and present and politician, who say it has lost

:12:47. > :12:52.sight of its role as a local college, providing education for

:12:52. > :12:56.kids in this region. They say its single minded in pursuing the

:12:56. > :13:01.business goals. And despite being a publicly funded body. It won't

:13:01. > :13:08.tolerate opposition. Newcastle College was formed in the 1970,

:13:08. > :13:12.from a number of institutions in the city. Some dating back to 1894.

:13:12. > :13:17.But NCG has.Ment -- ambition. I wanted to grow from its Newcastle

:13:17. > :13:21.roots. It expanded into the north- west, taking over the Skelmersdale

:13:21. > :13:26.and Ormskirk College and in 2008, it took over the failing training

:13:26. > :13:31.company Carter and cart e to establish intrain, which gets

:13:31. > :13:38.unemployed people back to work. But its claimed some of the money from

:13:38. > :13:41.Newcastle is being diverted to subsidise -- e-- other parts of NCG.

:13:41. > :13:45.Intrain -- intraining is losing money. So Newcastle College is

:13:45. > :13:52.picking up the tab. Money that should be spent on the people of

:13:52. > :13:56.Tyneside, is going elsewhere. declined to be interviewed but said

:13:56. > :14:00.that suggestion wholly inaccurate and misleading. It said intraining

:14:00. > :14:05.is paying significant return, allowing investment over �60

:14:05. > :14:08.million in the North East, over the next four years. Despite this,

:14:08. > :14:15.critics argue this and other financial pressures are the reasons

:14:15. > :14:22.why it has pushed through pay cuts of 30% for some staff, leaving them

:14:22. > :14:26.�10,000 a year worse off. Last year there was a strike over 170 job

:14:26. > :14:29.losses. Vanessa Maughan was made redundant. The former union

:14:29. > :14:33.secretary is one of a number of people taking the college to an

:14:33. > :14:38.employment tribunal. Year or year, the staff costs have been going

:14:38. > :14:43.down, that says a lot about how the particularly the teaching staff are

:14:43. > :14:48.valued. They have lot a lot of very very highly skilled, valuable well

:14:48. > :14:57.qualified staff. Students say they have noticed a change. The size of

:14:57. > :15:02.some of the classes are like, 50 people. Like it is absurd. NCG say

:15:02. > :15:06.they refute the allegation, students satisfaction levels are

:15:06. > :15:08.exceptionally high and a recent accreditation showed there were

:15:08. > :15:13.high levels of confidence. The staff at Newcastle College claim

:15:13. > :15:16.the management style has hardened. Rob Scott says he was bullied and

:15:16. > :15:21.he is taking the college to an employment tribunal. He says out of

:15:21. > :15:27.the blue, just over a year ago, a manager told him in front of junior

:15:28. > :15:32.staff, that he wasn't working hard enough. No-one at any time had said

:15:32. > :15:36.that they weren't happy with my performance, I got a bonus, for

:15:36. > :15:41.performance related pay, congratulating us because I had met

:15:41. > :15:46.all of my targets. Rob complained, management said the comment was a

:15:46. > :15:55.joke and told him he was being too sensitive. But unbe known to Rob a

:15:55. > :15:59.private e-mail to the chief executive said. It was only after

:15:59. > :16:04.Rob put in a Freedom of Information request that he discovered this. A

:16:04. > :16:08.note writ on the e-mail after, admitting they had got it wrong.

:16:08. > :16:12.His performance hadn't been discussed. By that stage an

:16:12. > :16:15.investigation has been launched and dropped. His health suffered and he

:16:15. > :16:21.had been selected for redundancy. It is is always felt it was

:16:21. > :16:25.happening to someone else. It has felt a bit surreal, in the fact

:16:25. > :16:28.that I wake up in the morning thinking it can't be me. I haven't

:16:28. > :16:34.done anything wrong. They don't like their methods to be questioned.

:16:34. > :16:41.I think that is one of the problems that I found myself in. Newcastle

:16:41. > :16:45.College could not comment on Rob's case. I get more complaints of

:16:45. > :16:51.bullying Newcastle College than I do in any of the other 20 colleges

:16:51. > :16:58.or six universities on my patch combined. Junior manager who feel

:16:58. > :17:03.under immense pressure basically take it out on lower staff, and I

:17:03. > :17:07.give you Cowenless instances of where that has happen. Where

:17:07. > :17:11.members complain nothing has been done to investigate. Inside Out has

:17:11. > :17:17.spoken to a large number of past and present staff, who did not wish

:17:17. > :17:25.to appear on camera. Actor, speak a selection of their statements. --

:17:25. > :17:28.actors. They want people easy to turn over. I was singled out.

:17:28. > :17:32.targeted. Everything became a disciplinary. We have seen e-mails

:17:32. > :17:37.and statements appearing to back the complaint bs. A junior manager

:17:37. > :17:42.says a resignation was greeted with the words, yes, another one gone. A

:17:42. > :17:45.manager's e-mail says an employee returning from sick leave is to get

:17:45. > :17:53.real performance management. Newcastle College-style. So, is

:17:53. > :17:57.there a problem with bullying at the college? NGNCG told us it takes

:17:57. > :18:06.bullying seriously and had a clear process for dealing with staff

:18:06. > :18:10.and dealt with appropriately. On the face of it you could say this

:18:10. > :18:20.is just a dispute between an employer and its worker, but one of

:18:20. > :18:24.

:18:24. > :18:26.the region's other colleges has The group hoped to continue its

:18:26. > :18:29.expansion by merging with Northumberland College. Last autumn,

:18:29. > :18:31.the merger collapsed. We have seen a confidential report prepared by

:18:31. > :18:34.Northumberland College. The report says NCG was planning to sell off

:18:34. > :18:39.two of Northumberland's campuses, something which the college here

:18:39. > :18:42.seemed to know little about. The news caused outrage. They were

:18:42. > :18:47.after getting the property, selling it off and having the students for

:18:47. > :18:50.themselves. I think Newcastle College have acted appallingly and

:18:50. > :18:53.have misled Northumberland College and the people of Northumberland.

:18:53. > :19:02.The Northumberland College report also said that NCG do not have the

:19:02. > :19:05.readership capacity they expected. The merger was badly managed,

:19:05. > :19:07.communication was poor and it said this could be as a direct result of

:19:08. > :19:16.dealing with a number of construction projects, in training

:19:16. > :19:23.performance and financial challenges. NCG says claims it

:19:23. > :19:25.misled Northumberland are completely untrue. Both colleges

:19:25. > :19:28.had worked closely during the merger discussions and

:19:28. > :19:31.Northumberland College was fully informed and actively involved. The

:19:31. > :19:36.criticisms of NCG were wholly inaccurate and lacked integrity,

:19:36. > :19:39.reflecting the personal views of someone opposed to the merger. It

:19:39. > :19:46.also claimed that NCG does not regard itself as accountable to

:19:46. > :19:51.people in their region or their elected representatives.

:19:51. > :19:55.consultation was done on whether people wanted this merger. Between

:19:55. > :20:00.60 and 70 per cent suggested that they did not want the merger to

:20:00. > :20:03.take place. Totally ignored that. I am really concerned about the way

:20:03. > :20:10.in which they operate and feel that they can do anything they want, any

:20:10. > :20:13.time they want. NCG says this is wholly unfounded. It serves every

:20:13. > :20:16.local authority in England and has premises across the country and is

:20:16. > :20:25.accountable to all customers and stakeholders and its board is made

:20:25. > :20:35.up of prominent members of the The Northumberland setback has not

:20:35. > :20:41.

:20:41. > :20:44.blunted NCG's ambition. Its ads continue to trumpet its list of

:20:44. > :20:47.academies and developments. It is believed that the group is looking

:20:47. > :20:50.at other mergers and expansion. It is one of the reasons why the chief

:20:50. > :20:54.executive was paid around �240,000 in 2010, including a bonus and

:20:54. > :21:03.retention payment of �54,000. That was controversial and there are now

:21:03. > :21:08.calls for action to be taken. not right in any way when staff at

:21:08. > :21:11.the college are receiving pay cuts. The Government needs to have a look

:21:11. > :21:14.at how they are spending money, how they are conducting their business

:21:14. > :21:21.and how it is impacting and affecting other people in and

:21:21. > :21:24.around higher education. NCG told us that Dame Jackie

:21:24. > :21:27.Fisher's salary is comparable to other senior posts in the sector

:21:27. > :21:37.and the extra payment in 2010 was one to provide stability at a time

:21:37. > :21:37.

:21:37. > :21:41.of rapid expansion. Claim and counter-claim. What is clear is

:21:41. > :21:44.that it is not just students here at this college who are facing

:21:44. > :21:54.testing times. Questions are also being asked about NCG itself. A lot

:21:54. > :21:59.

:21:59. > :22:07.of people in the North East will be There are just 186 days to go until

:22:07. > :22:11.the start of the London Olympics. Almost all our top athletes have

:22:11. > :22:13.had to move from the North to train at Team GB bases in other parts of

:22:13. > :22:16.the country as part of their preparations for the 2012 Games.

:22:16. > :22:20.Among them the long jumper Chris Tomlinson, the man considered the

:22:20. > :22:24.region's best hope of a medal in the athletics arena. But staying

:22:24. > :22:27.away from home is just one sacrifice he has made in his quest

:22:27. > :22:30.to be the best. Chris Tomlinson, the man from

:22:30. > :22:33.Middlesbrough who jumps into a sandpit for a living. He has

:22:33. > :22:37.competed at the last two Olympics and is currently ranked 5th in the

:22:37. > :22:42.World. I am a Boro lad, born and bred. My wife is from Linthorpe,

:22:42. > :22:45.I'm from Nunthorpe. Chris now lives down south with his wife, the West

:22:45. > :22:52.End actress, Lucia Rovardi, so he can train here at the elite

:22:53. > :22:56.facilities in North London. It's a big sacrifice for a couple who are

:22:56. > :23:00.Northerners to their core. I think the way of life that we have in the

:23:00. > :23:04.north-east is so much better. It is just a matter of time before me and

:23:04. > :23:12.my wife go back up there. It is the best place on earth. This is the

:23:12. > :23:17.size of a flat in London. This is what you get. If he wins Olympic

:23:17. > :23:27.gold, he will be able to buy a much bigger home of. But last September,

:23:27. > :23:28.

:23:28. > :23:32.his hopes took a big setback. Just before the World Championships, my

:23:32. > :23:42.knee started playing up a bit I still made it to final, but my knee

:23:42. > :23:43.

:23:43. > :23:47.wasn't up to scratch. I needed an operation. Every time the knee

:23:47. > :23:50.travelled forwards, it would give me a lot of pain Below the knee cap,

:23:50. > :23:55.you have got the tendons and the tendon was inflamed and had a lot

:23:55. > :23:59.of blood in there. Chris is lucky. As one of Team GB's elite athletes,

:23:59. > :24:01.he receives support worth more than �50,000 a year to pay for the best

:24:01. > :24:06.coaches, sports science and medical treatment. Money that comes mainly

:24:06. > :24:10.from us via the National Lottery. I have a sideline. I have a few

:24:10. > :24:13.houses in the North East that I bought when I was younger and I

:24:14. > :24:21.have to ensure the rent gets paid. Middlesbrough, there is a few nice

:24:21. > :24:23.flats. We don't get footballers wages by any stretch. He also

:24:23. > :24:25.collects prize money and appearance fees from various athletics

:24:25. > :24:35.meetings. There are various sponsorship deals. And then there's

:24:35. > :24:39.

:24:39. > :24:42.Strike Gold at London 2012 and Chris could reasonably expect a big

:24:42. > :24:52.leap in his earnings. And then there is the media interest which

:24:52. > :24:53.

:24:53. > :25:00.is already high. I did a few interviews recently in a few of the

:25:00. > :25:03.papers. Kind of embarrassing too. On the back page, it has me wearing

:25:03. > :25:05.sunglasses. One of those stupid pictures, they always go for the

:25:05. > :25:10.silly, gimp pictures. Basically saying about drugs cheats costing

:25:10. > :25:13.me medals and what my standpoint is on it. Chris is 30. Realistically,

:25:13. > :25:20.this is his last shot at Olympic glory. There is a lot hanging on

:25:20. > :25:30.his ability to stay fit over the next eight months. I don't like

:25:30. > :25:39.

:25:39. > :25:46.weight training. I find it boring. It's a means to an end. It is 9.10

:25:46. > :25:49.on 25 November. I have a day off - whoopee! The knee is coming on well.

:25:49. > :25:53.I've just spoken to my agent about going to Moscow on 5th February. I

:25:53. > :26:00.need to get back into shape as soon as possible. My priority is to

:26:00. > :26:10.perform well at the Olympic Games. But two days later, a setback.

:26:10. > :26:12.

:26:12. > :26:15.a great day. I was training well, but me knee just started to hurt.

:26:15. > :26:18.The doctor scanned it but take it on symptoms, train today, making

:26:18. > :26:25.sure that I look after this knee. But Chris believes he has the right

:26:25. > :26:29.strategy to ensure that he can overcome his injury. It is about

:26:29. > :26:33.taking one step at the time. The only way to get there is to take it

:26:33. > :26:35.one day at a time. Of course people are talking about 2012, but I am

:26:35. > :26:44.thinking about today's training session. So who wears the trousers

:26:44. > :26:53.in this house? Not me! He has turned into a diva last few months!

:26:53. > :26:56.I keep having to tell him off! is going to be a big year for Chris

:26:56. > :27:05.- regardless of the Olympics. It means an extra financial burden,

:27:05. > :27:09.but he's still jumping for joy. Really excited about baby I am! We

:27:09. > :27:18.were trying for a while, so it was nice to finally get one past the

:27:18. > :27:21.keeper so to speak! When are you due? March 17th. The world

:27:21. > :27:27.championships are in Turkey on 10th March. If it comes early, Chris

:27:27. > :27:30.might not be here. My main priority is being here for the birth. If it

:27:30. > :27:40.was the Olympics, it would be different but it is the world

:27:40. > :27:43.A little more than seven months until the Olympics. It's no big

:27:43. > :27:46.leap of imagination to say this is the year that Chris could really

:27:46. > :27:49.hit the big time and the financial rewards that come with it. But

:27:49. > :27:52.there is something much more important on his mind than money,

:27:52. > :27:56.something that would really have him jumping for joy. And that is

:27:56. > :27:59.the simple glory of winning Gold in the sport he loves. In my event I

:27:59. > :28:04.am very fortunate, in that I'm not going up against a world record

:28:04. > :28:09.holder. I am going up against very good athletes, but not necessarily

:28:09. > :28:19.the world's greatest ever. I have got to take great heart from that.

:28:19. > :28:20.

:28:20. > :28:26.A medal is a medal. Fingers crossed for him at the summer.

:28:26. > :28:33.You can follow me on Facebook and You can follow me on Facebook and