0:00:02 > 0:00:04My guest this week, on the first Sunday of Advent,
0:00:04 > 0:00:07is one of British Athletics' brightest stars.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10She's a Paralympian, a five-times world record holder,
0:00:10 > 0:00:13and reigning long jump world champion.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16It's no wonder she calls herself The Blade Stunner.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19She wants to be first. She pushes herself to be the best
0:00:19 > 0:00:23that she can be, regardless of the obstacles in front of her.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Stef Reid trains here,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29at Loughborough University's Elite Athletic Centre.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32It was in 2008, during the Beijing Paralympics,
0:00:32 > 0:00:35that she first came to public prominence,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38when she won a bronze in the 200 metres.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40Then, in London 2012, she won silver,
0:00:40 > 0:00:43but this time in the long jump.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47And that was a feat that she replicated again in Rio last year.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Stef wasn't born with a disability.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58At the age of 15, with aspirations to be an international rugby player,
0:00:58 > 0:01:00she was involved in a boating accident
0:01:00 > 0:01:02which changed her life forever.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06I was terrified at the prospect of dying. I was 15.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08You know, this really wasn't a scenario
0:01:08 > 0:01:10that I had ever even remotely considered.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12There was some indication that she wasn't going to make it,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15because she'd lost so much blood.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Not knowing if she would survive,
0:01:17 > 0:01:20Stef made a pact with God.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22I remember being in that ambulance
0:01:22 > 0:01:24and just really praying for the first time.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26"God, please save my life.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30"I have no hope at all right now,
0:01:30 > 0:01:33"except beyond what you can give."
0:01:33 > 0:01:37Stef's prayers were answered - but after a life-saving operation,
0:01:37 > 0:01:39she had to face some dreadful news.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42My mum walked into the recovery room,
0:01:42 > 0:01:44and she just took my hand and just said,
0:01:44 > 0:01:46"You know, my darling, I'm so sorry,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49"but the surgeons couldn't save your leg,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52"and they had to amputate."
0:01:52 > 0:01:53And...
0:01:55 > 0:01:58..I was devastated.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Stef decided to focus her energies on her studies,
0:02:01 > 0:02:03gaining a degree in biochemistry,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06which she intended to be a stepping stone to medical school.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12One day, Stef was looking out of a window, watching a friend of hers
0:02:12 > 0:02:16who was training on an athletics track, and Stef thought to herself,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20"Hmm, I was quite fast when I had two legs and no disability.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23"I wonder how fast I'd be now."
0:02:23 > 0:02:25And she took one of the biggest gambles of her life.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29She decided not to go to medical school,
0:02:29 > 0:02:31but to try her luck as a full-time athlete.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37And she succeeded, big time.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39It's a story that resonates with our theme
0:02:39 > 0:02:43for this first Sunday of Advent, which is hope.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45And it's not as if her accomplishments
0:02:45 > 0:02:47stopped at athletics.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Determined to challenge stereotypes about disability
0:02:50 > 0:02:51and body image,
0:02:51 > 0:02:55Stef became a fashion model on the London catwalk.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59What that proves is that
0:02:59 > 0:03:02we don't need to see models
0:03:02 > 0:03:06who are airbrushed and tall, thin, young.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09We want to see inspirational women,
0:03:09 > 0:03:12and she was absolutely the right woman for the job.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16Stef has met the Queen, the Pope,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19and has even starred in a short feature film.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Hey! What was that?!
0:03:29 > 0:03:31- Are you all right?- Just leave.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Just leave!
0:03:34 > 0:03:38It's a remarkable story, especially how her deep faith
0:03:38 > 0:03:41has comforted her in times of total despair.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45And that faith continues to comfort her and drives her on,
0:03:45 > 0:03:50perhaps to that elusive gold Paralympian medal in 2020...
0:03:51 > 0:03:54..and to who knows what else? We'll see.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Since joining the British Athletics team in 2010,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Stef's home has become Loughborough and during the day,
0:04:14 > 0:04:18it's the university's sports facilities.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20- It's a bit cold, isn't it? - It is a bit.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22You haven't got enough meat on you, girl.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26So, everything you were doing just there - what were you doing?
0:04:26 > 0:04:29So, we have a brilliant 400-metre outdoor track.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32We have the indoor location, and so, typical day of training,
0:04:32 > 0:04:34you never come in and just start -
0:04:34 > 0:04:37you come in and you do a warm-up to get your body ready to go, and so...
0:04:37 > 0:04:41- Is that what you were doing there? - Yeah.- It looked fairly gentle.
0:04:41 > 0:04:42I thought I could do that.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45Um, we start gentle and then we kind of build it up, build it up.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48But it's nice, too, because you start the day,
0:04:48 > 0:04:50and you kind of come in and you see everyone,
0:04:50 > 0:04:52and check in and see how everyone's doing,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55and then you get ready for some hard work.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58You said to me earlier that tomorrow you were doing some very hard work,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01and you were a bit frightened about it. So, what are you doing?
0:05:01 > 0:05:04I mean, if you're frightened, it must be horrific. So, tell me.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08So, it's winter training, and winter training is notorious for being...
0:05:08 > 0:05:12It's just hard. You know, you really have to put the work in.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14You know, you're breaking down your body,
0:05:14 > 0:05:16and you're kind of building the tank.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Doesn't that make you want to be sick at the end of it?
0:05:18 > 0:05:20- It does, yeah.- Yeah.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Stef was born in October 1984 in New Zealand,
0:05:27 > 0:05:29to British parents - Phil from Scotland,
0:05:29 > 0:05:31and Carol from County Durham.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37At the age of four, Stef moved with her family to Canada,
0:05:37 > 0:05:41and quickly found out that sport was her passion.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44When did you first find out that you were competitive?
0:05:44 > 0:05:45I think it was at school.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Yeah. Well, I probably was always competitive.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Erm, I was always quite physical.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52I loved running, I loved all sorts of sports.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54And it was the school sports day,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57and the whole school was involved.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00And I was quite small for my age,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02and I was in the lowest grade,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04but they kind of had the teams mixed, and...
0:06:04 > 0:06:05So, how old were you?
0:06:05 > 0:06:08- I would have been six.- Six! - I would have been six.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11And the oldest on the team would have been 12.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13And they mix us all up, and you have your team captain,
0:06:13 > 0:06:16and we raced in the sprints, we raced in the distance,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19and I won both, and it was just a great experience for me.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22So that buzz, that sensation, stayed with you and you thought,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- "Let's do it again."- Definitely. I mean, from that moment on,
0:06:25 > 0:06:30I tried out for every school team that there was.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33You know, basketball, volleyball, tennis, cross-country,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36all those things.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39But it was rugby where Stef discovered her real talents lay.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43We were really fortunate that one of the teachers at our school
0:06:43 > 0:06:46played at a very high national level,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49and decided to put out a team for us, and...
0:06:49 > 0:06:51I think it was just, you know...
0:06:51 > 0:06:54There aren't that many opportunities
0:06:54 > 0:06:56as a young female to be able to really explore that aggressive side.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01- Yeah.- But even as an athlete, that was the one sport that, for me,
0:07:01 > 0:07:05perfectly highlighted my whole skill set, as a sportswoman.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09I think at that time rugby was her favourite.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12She was actually very good. She was very fast, but she was clever.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15And even at that stage, she was a leader,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18cos she would be directing the team.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21She did enjoy rugby.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23And I actually was opposed.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27I was very concerned about potential injuries.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31Little did I know what was about to unfold.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35At age 15, Stef was living the life of any typical sporty teenager...
0:07:37 > 0:07:40..but then a devastating accident during a weekend away
0:07:40 > 0:07:43at a friend's house changed her life forever.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46It was a holiday weekend in Canada,
0:07:46 > 0:07:49and their cottage was located on a lake,
0:07:49 > 0:07:51and they had an amazing boat,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55and we would do this thing called tubing, and that is where you attach
0:07:55 > 0:07:57a rubber tube to the back of the speedboat -
0:07:57 > 0:07:59it's kind of really lazy water-skiing,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02is how I would describe it - and you would go across the lake.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05And, you know, typically, you would hit a sharp corner,
0:08:05 > 0:08:07and you would fall off.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10And I had fallen off and I was in the water,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13and I was just waiting to get picked back up.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16And I remember seeing the boat in the distance,
0:08:16 > 0:08:20and, you know, just kind of waiting for it, and literally just
0:08:20 > 0:08:24looking around, thinking, "Wow, this is just such a stunning day.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26"What a great weekend."
0:08:30 > 0:08:32At that point, I looked back at the boat,
0:08:32 > 0:08:36and I just knew instantly, something was really wrong.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39You know, the boat was coming way too fast.
0:08:39 > 0:08:40The driver doesn't see me,
0:08:40 > 0:08:44and he obviously doesn't know that I'm in the water. And...
0:08:44 > 0:08:49You know, your brain just kind of switches into survival mode,
0:08:49 > 0:08:53and you start making decisions really, really quickly. And I kind of assessed it immediately.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56All you're thinking is, "You have got to miss those propellers."
0:08:56 > 0:08:58I knew I didn't have enough time to swim to either side,
0:08:58 > 0:09:00and I thought, "Well, this is fine,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03"I'm just going to dive below the water, hold my breath,
0:09:03 > 0:09:05"I'll let the boat go across, this is going to be fine."
0:09:05 > 0:09:08And I forgot that I had a life jacket on.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11And I couldn't get under and, you know,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14you're trying to fumble with clips and zips, but there's just no time.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16And...
0:09:16 > 0:09:18I think at that point, you just...
0:09:18 > 0:09:21There wasn't anything I could do except for
0:09:21 > 0:09:23just kind of hope for the best, really.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Unfortunately, the boat did hit you.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33And to be honest, I didn't know.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36I didn't know that I'd been hit,
0:09:36 > 0:09:38and I was kind of just...
0:09:38 > 0:09:41I was on the surface just kind of gathering myself,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44and I didn't feel right.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48I had been hit by the propeller across my lower back,
0:09:48 > 0:09:49and it caught my right leg,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52and that was the moment when it was just, "This is...
0:09:55 > 0:09:57"This is not good."
0:10:00 > 0:10:04It was the day that she was going to be picked up.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08We got a phone call to say that she had been injured,
0:10:08 > 0:10:12but they did not tell us the extent of the injury.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17And I was getting angry that, all the cellphones we had,
0:10:17 > 0:10:20all the cellphone numbers, no-one was calling us back.
0:10:20 > 0:10:25But then it sort of dawned on me that something more serious,
0:10:25 > 0:10:27potentially, had happened.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32I tried to stay calm, because all around me was panicking.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35And I was driving. We just had to
0:10:35 > 0:10:38try and think positive thoughts.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41Who knew what had happened? Who came first?
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Erm, there was a lifeguard on the boat and he came out
0:10:44 > 0:10:49and he grabbed me and they got me on the boat.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52And that was when you could just see...
0:10:53 > 0:10:56I mean, there was just too much blood.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58I remember constantly trying to sit up
0:10:58 > 0:11:00and somebody pushing back on my shoulder,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03and I'm trying to sit up, and someone pushing back on my shoulder,
0:11:03 > 0:11:04cos they didn't want me to see my leg,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07because they knew how bad it looked.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09But even in that moment, I mean,
0:11:09 > 0:11:11I could just see it in everyone's face.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19They managed to get you to hospital.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23I think it was quite a long way to the nearest hospital.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26It was, yeah. We were probably about an hour and a half out,
0:11:26 > 0:11:29and it was a tough situation because,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31you know, there wasn't a lot of support locally.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34They did eventually take me just to a really small clinic
0:11:34 > 0:11:35that couldn't do anything.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38I remember in the clinic, they sent my parents in
0:11:38 > 0:11:41and then it just hit me. Erm...
0:11:42 > 0:11:45They've sent them in to say goodbye in case you don't make it.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49And that was a pretty sobering moment.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53In actual fact, there was some indication
0:11:53 > 0:11:56that she wasn't going to make it, because she'd lost so much blood.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58And the hospital where she was at
0:11:58 > 0:12:00really couldn't handle the situation.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03And they were waiting on an ambulance to pick her up
0:12:03 > 0:12:05to take her to Toronto.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08No blood transfusion, a hospital a long way away,
0:12:08 > 0:12:10no-one coming to get you...
0:12:10 > 0:12:12What kept you alive?
0:12:15 > 0:12:17I was terrified at the prospect of dying.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Erm...
0:12:23 > 0:12:25I mean, gosh, I was 15.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28This really wasn't a scenario that I had ever even remotely
0:12:28 > 0:12:31considered, and I just had a really crushing sense
0:12:31 > 0:12:36in the ambulance that I had not lived life well,
0:12:36 > 0:12:40in the sense that I had not lived a life
0:12:40 > 0:12:42that acknowledged God,
0:12:42 > 0:12:46that was lived knowing him.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48You know, I didn't really have a relationship with him.
0:12:48 > 0:12:49And I mean, from the outside,
0:12:49 > 0:12:52probably people wouldn't have said that about my life...
0:12:52 > 0:12:54No. You were a 15-year-old girl.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57Yeah, I mean, I did well in school, I had lots of friends,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00I did well in sports, but I just had this real weight
0:13:00 > 0:13:02that I didn't know God.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05And I remember being in that ambulance...
0:13:07 > 0:13:10..and just really praying for the first time.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13You know, "God, I just...
0:13:13 > 0:13:16"Please save my life.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19"I have no hope at all right now
0:13:19 > 0:13:22"except beyond what you can give.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26"And I just... Please save my life so that I can do better,
0:13:26 > 0:13:31"I can try again, and I can live a life more honouring for you."
0:13:33 > 0:13:35When Stef eventually arrived at the hospital,
0:13:35 > 0:13:39she was rushed to the operating theatre and a surgeon got to work.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Things went unbelievably well.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46We had an amazing orthopaedic surgeon come in,
0:13:46 > 0:13:48and just do an incredible job.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53You know, there was no permanent internal injury.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55You know, I had no spinal damage.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Um... And so...
0:13:58 > 0:14:01And I was so thankful to still be alive, and I was thinking,
0:14:01 > 0:14:05"Wow, this is awesome." You know, "Thanks, God."
0:14:05 > 0:14:09- He's come through.- Yeah, great job! This is going to be great, you know.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11So much of life to look forward to.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18But Stef's happiness and relief were about to be cruelly crushed.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23When my mum walked into the recovery room...
0:14:23 > 0:14:27And she was so sad, and I just thought, you know, "Why is she sad?
0:14:27 > 0:14:31"Like, I'm alive." I didn't get it. Um...
0:14:32 > 0:14:35And she walked over
0:14:35 > 0:14:38and she took my hand and just said,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40"My darling, I'm so sorry,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44"but the surgeons couldn't save your leg
0:14:44 > 0:14:47"and they had to amputate."
0:14:47 > 0:14:48And...
0:14:50 > 0:14:52..I was devastated.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59I remember just kind of turning over and just being so consumed with...
0:15:03 > 0:15:06..I guess just grief, really. I didn't know how to process it.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09It was so strange because on the one hand, I was so thankful
0:15:09 > 0:15:13to still be alive and yet at the same time, I was so angry.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16You know, I love sport.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19I was playing rugby at the time and all I could think about was,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22"How am I going to play rugby if I can't run?"
0:15:23 > 0:15:25And, you know, this wasn't part of the deal.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31It was devastating.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36If you can imagine being 16 years old, quite beautiful...
0:15:37 > 0:15:41..erm, and having this accident where in the early part,
0:15:41 > 0:15:43she was crawling around the floor.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Erm, it was very difficult for her.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Stefanie was very, very emotional.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53She actually was on suicide watch in the hospital.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59I stayed at the hospital the entire time.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03She dug down deep into the depths of her soul
0:16:03 > 0:16:07to find the energy, the courage to move forward.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11My mum - literally the first word off her tongue
0:16:11 > 0:16:15when anyone even started discussing amputation was,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18"Can you amputate my leg instead and give it to Stefanie?
0:16:18 > 0:16:20"And I'll learn to walk."
0:16:20 > 0:16:23- Um... You know, which obviously wasn't possible at the time.- No.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28But that was her first instinct. It was really hard, you know. She...
0:16:30 > 0:16:34She slept in an incredibly uncomfortable chair beside my bed.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37I probably wasn't very pleasant to be around.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40You know, I was grieving, I was angry, I was not behaving well.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Just even little things, like...
0:16:43 > 0:16:45I have this one recollection of her.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49I still couldn't get out of bed, so she brought a toothbrush.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51And I yelled at her,
0:16:51 > 0:16:54because I was really angry that she'd brought my toothbrush
0:16:54 > 0:16:57and she had put the toothpaste on in one big blob,
0:16:57 > 0:16:59instead of an even line across it.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01And, you know...
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Didn't react, even though I was being ridiculous.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07And patiently corrected it, and then...
0:17:08 > 0:17:10..went out into the hall, probably to gather herself,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13and I just didn't know how much it affected her.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15So, you're taking it out on your mum, which is understandable.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17Who else would you take it out on?
0:17:17 > 0:17:19Yeah, I just didn't have another outlet.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21But again, she was there just absorbing all of that.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25And I can't even imagine how hard it was for her.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Did you start to trust God again?
0:17:30 > 0:17:33- He'd saved your life but he'd taken your foot.- Mm-hm.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37That was still a sticking point!
0:17:39 > 0:17:42I was living in the space where I was both really angry with God
0:17:42 > 0:17:44and incredibly at peace with him.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48And it sounds like it's impossible to do both, but you can.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52And I sensed... I could feel his presence
0:17:52 > 0:17:54and his spirit in my hospital room.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57And, yeah, it doesn't mean everything was perfect,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00it was still really, really hard. But I just kind of had this moment.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03I mean, I had to work through it. What do you believe?
0:18:03 > 0:18:07What are you willing to base the foundation of your life on?
0:18:07 > 0:18:12And I came to the conclusion that, OK, so if God is
0:18:12 > 0:18:16the creator of the universe, he's the creator of the world...
0:18:18 > 0:18:20..I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27I'm going to accept that perhaps I don't understand as much as he does.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Perhaps his perspective is better than mine.
0:18:29 > 0:18:35She'd always been involved with church, through family and school.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40And I think in a life-threatening situation like that,
0:18:40 > 0:18:45that's the natural progression you would take towards your faith.
0:18:45 > 0:18:50Then there was a nurse who came in, and could see that you were
0:18:50 > 0:18:53maybe wallowing in self-pity.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56- But she brought you up sharply. - She did.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58Her name was Nurse Claudette.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00And it was... It was seven days,
0:19:00 > 0:19:04exactly a week after the accident initially happened, and...
0:19:05 > 0:19:08..I suspect she had been around and had been watching some things,
0:19:08 > 0:19:10and she came in that morning.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12And she had the breakfast on her tray -
0:19:12 > 0:19:15and you have to understand, at this stage, I just...
0:19:17 > 0:19:21I just stopped caring, you know. I wasn't eating.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24I didn't really want to see anyone.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27It was just existing, basically.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30And I told her I didn't feel like breakfast.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32I kind of closed my eyes hoping, pretending to sleep
0:19:32 > 0:19:36and hoping she'd get the hint and just leave me alone.
0:19:36 > 0:19:41But instead, she put the tray down by my bedside.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44And you know, she looked me in the eye.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48And she said, very firmly but very gently...
0:19:51 > 0:19:52.."That's enough.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56"You know, it doesn't... It doesn't matter how you feel.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58"You need to start doing something."
0:20:00 > 0:20:02You know, there is a...
0:20:02 > 0:20:05She said there was a ten-year-old girl in the ward below me
0:20:05 > 0:20:07who had lost both of her feet, and she could still smile.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10"What's your excuse?"
0:20:12 > 0:20:14- And she left it there.- Wow.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21Those words struck home, and Stef was filled with renewed hope
0:20:21 > 0:20:23and determination.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27After a period of recuperation, Stef soon found that with sport
0:20:27 > 0:20:32no longer in her life, she needed another goal to aim for.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36She was someone who was determined to make it either in academics,
0:20:36 > 0:20:41politics, law, medicine, sports.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45She had so many options open to her but I knew this was a major,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48major transition for her in her life.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51But I remember her yearbook statement.
0:20:51 > 0:20:56It's not what lies before you and it's not what lies behind you,
0:20:56 > 0:20:58but it's what lies within you.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01So, when you got back to school, academia took over.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03You also have a very good academic brain and so
0:21:03 > 0:21:06you threw yourself into your studies.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09How did you fill your time until you left school?
0:21:09 > 0:21:13When I went back to school, suddenly I wasn't spending
0:21:13 > 0:21:16two, three, four hours any more training.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20And I just had this additional time and this additional energy.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24And so it all kind of just got poured into my schoolwork.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27And so I studied hard.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31And, you know, my new goal was I wanted to be a surgeon.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35And I ended up earning a full academic scholarship
0:21:35 > 0:21:39to study biochemistry at Queens University in Canada.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43And from there, wanted to go on and do medical school.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50After the experience of spiritual awakening following her accident,
0:21:50 > 0:21:54it was at university that Stef discovered her preconceptions
0:21:54 > 0:21:57about people with faith were not borne out by reality.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Because that was kind of the first time that I'd realised...
0:22:01 > 0:22:04I met Christians who weren't weird, if that makes sense!
0:22:05 > 0:22:08- You know...- Why is that assumption? Weird, Christian.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10I know, but I think...
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Depending on where you live in the world,
0:22:13 > 0:22:17sometimes faith is just not something that's a popular topic.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Or sometimes, people will think that in order to be
0:22:20 > 0:22:23a person of faith, you kind of have to check your brain at the door.
0:22:23 > 0:22:24You can't still be a deep thinker.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26And it was through university, and obviously,
0:22:26 > 0:22:28I was sitting biochemistry.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32We had a lot... We talked a lot about the world and evolution
0:22:32 > 0:22:34- and that sort of thing.- Yeah. - So, it was this great period where
0:22:34 > 0:22:37I was meeting other Christians in different walks of life,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40and again realising, OK, they're not weird.
0:22:40 > 0:22:41And seeing how they do life
0:22:41 > 0:22:45and how their faith comes through in their profession.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48While still at university, Stef was watching a friend
0:22:48 > 0:22:52training on an athletics track when she realised being an amputee
0:22:52 > 0:22:55didn't necessarily exclude her from excelling at sport.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01And I just thought, you know... I had always been pretty fast.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05"I wonder how fast I still am."
0:23:05 > 0:23:07And that was it, and it was just that small seed
0:23:07 > 0:23:09and I couldn't get it out of my head, I'm the kind of person
0:23:09 > 0:23:12that once it's there, I just need to see it through.
0:23:12 > 0:23:13And I...
0:23:13 > 0:23:17I called the coach of the varsity team at the university,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19and I kind of explained the situation.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25"I've no idea what I'm doing, but I just got this running leg
0:23:25 > 0:23:30"and I'd really love just to learn how to use it."
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Wow! And how long did it take you
0:23:32 > 0:23:35before you actually were in your stride?
0:23:35 > 0:23:37You know, I had these visions.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40I was going to pick up the sport and I was going to be amazing
0:23:40 > 0:23:42and I was going to take over the world
0:23:42 > 0:23:44and be the best blade sprinter ever!
0:23:44 > 0:23:45And...
0:23:46 > 0:23:50- You know, apparently life doesn't work like that.- Hmm!
0:23:50 > 0:23:52At this point in her life,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Stef's sights were still set on going to medical school.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58But a chance invitation to the Manchester Paralympic World Cup
0:23:58 > 0:24:02in 2006 made her re-evaluate everything.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07When did you actually start competing properly?
0:24:07 > 0:24:10It was my first ever international meet,
0:24:10 > 0:24:14and I didn't know what to expect.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17I had never known that Paralympic sport had that potential.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19And that's just, again, started a new seed in my mind,
0:24:19 > 0:24:21and I just thought...
0:24:21 > 0:24:25"You know, 2008 Paralympics in Beijing - what would that be like?
0:24:25 > 0:24:27"I definitely don't want to miss out on that."
0:24:27 > 0:24:31And it kind of sparked a different course in my life.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34So, Stef started to take her training seriously
0:24:34 > 0:24:36and, according to her current coach,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39has the perfect temperament for an athlete wanting to improve.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42We're doing a technical session
0:24:42 > 0:24:45and she'll do a jump. And we'll come across.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47we know what the objectives of sessions are.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49And then she goes back and tries to execute that.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53Erm, most athletes will say, "Yeah, coach," and then just move off.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56But once she actually takes on the information,
0:24:56 > 0:24:59that is now written on her diary sheet,
0:24:59 > 0:25:01to make sure that she actually remembers that information
0:25:01 > 0:25:03for the next session.
0:25:04 > 0:25:09It was in 2005 that Stef met her husband-to-be Brent Lakatos,
0:25:09 > 0:25:11who, like Stef, is a Paralympian
0:25:11 > 0:25:14and had a disabling accident when young.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19But Stef was not a girl who could be won over easily.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24I was at Canadian Nationals in 2005.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26And so, you kind of know everybody
0:25:26 > 0:25:28on the Canadian team from competing.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31And then there's this new girl and I saw her one day
0:25:31 > 0:25:33and thought, "She's really pretty."
0:25:33 > 0:25:37I managed to squeeze her phone number out of her coach,
0:25:37 > 0:25:38and get in touch with her
0:25:38 > 0:25:41and have a few awkward phone calls back and forth.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47And then the next year, I decided,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50"OK, well, now I've chatted with her a few times,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52"I should probably ask her out on a date or something."
0:25:52 > 0:25:54And so, she promptly said no.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58It just wasn't the right time for me. I'm always someone...
0:25:58 > 0:26:01I just don't know how to do things in half measures.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03You know, I would never consider dating someone
0:26:03 > 0:26:05unless I saw a future in it.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07And at that point, I just didn't.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10But Brent wasn't the type to give up.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13The World Championships in 2006, we were both selected
0:26:13 > 0:26:15and it was a seven-hour plane ride.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17And so Brent - very clever -
0:26:17 > 0:26:22he called the travel agent and requested to have not only
0:26:22 > 0:26:25the same flight path as me, because he was living in Dallas, Texas.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29But also he wanted to have the seat ticketed next to me.
0:26:29 > 0:26:30All without asking me.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33Because he thought, "Brilliant, seven hours on the flight -
0:26:33 > 0:26:35"I'll have her undivided attention."
0:26:35 > 0:26:37And he came prepared.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40You know, he had his DVD player, he had romantic comedies,
0:26:40 > 0:26:42he had all my favourite snacks.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44And so we went to the World Champs and it was lovely.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49You know, we were friends and I did... He was a great friend.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51So, sitting next to him on the plane,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54did you think, "What a coincidence! We're sitting next to each other"?
0:26:54 > 0:26:55Did you really think that?
0:26:55 > 0:26:57I did, I asked him about it and he did confess.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00And we were coming back and again, he had the seat next to me.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02And he began to turn and...
0:27:02 > 0:27:05I knew he was going to ask me out again,
0:27:05 > 0:27:09and bearing in mind this was the 27th time...
0:27:09 > 0:27:13- You'd been counting?- It was a rough count, yes, but 27th. And...
0:27:15 > 0:27:17It was kind of... Again, I had no intention to date him
0:27:17 > 0:27:23and I thought, "OK, the kindest thing I can do right now is just..."
0:27:23 > 0:27:24I need to end this.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28So, I cut him off mid-sentence and I just said, "Brent...
0:27:29 > 0:27:32"..I think you're great.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36"But we are never ever, ever going to date.
0:27:38 > 0:27:39"Ever."
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Still, Brent persisted.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46This time inviting Stef down to Dallas for a weekend
0:27:46 > 0:27:48where they could just be friends.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51Stef agreed, but there were strict conditions.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54And she sent me an e-mail with about ten rules.
0:27:54 > 0:27:55I wasn't allowed to try and hold her hand,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58I wasn't allowed to ask her out, I wasn't allowed to...
0:27:58 > 0:28:03There were literally about ten rules. And so, I stuck, I was good.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07She came down and I followed all those rules, and then
0:28:07 > 0:28:10by the end of the weekend, I think her feelings started changing.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14On the final day she was there, she was like, "Brent...
0:28:15 > 0:28:17"..I think I'm ready to date you."
0:28:19 > 0:28:21It was like...
0:28:21 > 0:28:24The way that she did it, I was afraid I'd done something wrong!
0:28:26 > 0:28:29No, and so I was kind of shocked, but in a good way.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33As their relationship grew, the 2008 Beijing Paralympics
0:28:33 > 0:28:36were fast approaching - something they were both competing in.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38Stef's strongest event was the long jump.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40It was a total disaster.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42I mean, of epic proportions,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45and I walked out of there feeling like a complete failure.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48You think, "Gosh... "My family's over here -
0:28:48 > 0:28:50"they've spent a lot of money to come and watch."
0:28:50 > 0:28:54And you know, you really feel like you've let everyone down.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56And I went back to the village
0:28:56 > 0:29:01and I cried for about two hours.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04- You couldn't be with Brent? You couldn't find him.- No, Brent came.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06- Oh, good.- And he sat with me crying.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09And then I went and I got something to eat.
0:29:10 > 0:29:11And then I had to go back to the track
0:29:11 > 0:29:13because I had the 200-metre final.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18The 200 metres turned out to be a very different story,
0:29:18 > 0:29:20when Stef, who was placed in the outside lane,
0:29:20 > 0:29:22won a surprise bronze medal.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26Out of the corner of my eye, the person leading falls,
0:29:26 > 0:29:29and the person in second place also falls.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32And I was in fourth place and I just thought, "Stefanie,
0:29:32 > 0:29:35"this is never going to happen again. You need to get up there."
0:29:37 > 0:29:40And I ended up getting the bronze by 1/1,000th of a second.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42For me, it's that reminder.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44You fight until the end,
0:29:44 > 0:29:46because you don't know how things are going to turn out.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49However, Brent had a very different Games.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53He didn't perform quite as he wanted.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55And again, it's hard in a relationship where you have
0:29:55 > 0:29:59two athletes, because it's so rare that your seasons match
0:29:59 > 0:30:03in terms of you both do really well or you both maybe don't do as well.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05Generally, it's mixed.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07This happened in 2013 at the World Champs,
0:30:07 > 0:30:10Brent won his first ever World Championship medal,
0:30:10 > 0:30:14and I had the most horrible performance I've ever had.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17But he would be supportive of you, if he'd had a terrible time
0:30:17 > 0:30:19- and you were doing it? - Yes, of course.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23And there is a part of you that really worries, like...
0:30:23 > 0:30:27Am I going to be a big enough person to be able to celebrate this?
0:30:27 > 0:30:31And I was genuinely scared, I remember praying about this to God.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35You know, "God, I'm really scared that he might win that medal
0:30:35 > 0:30:39"and I really don't want the first thing that I feel to be jealousy."
0:30:39 > 0:30:42And I was so happy that when he did cross,
0:30:42 > 0:30:44it was just tears of joy for him.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48Because this is not a competition, I've seen him through this journey.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51And you know, we've both seen each other in situations
0:30:51 > 0:30:54behind closed doors that most people don't see,
0:30:54 > 0:30:56and we know how hard it's been for the other person.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00And it was just so great to celebrate that with him.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03Stef's bronze medal in Beijing opened doors for her.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05Wanting to have the best preparation
0:31:05 > 0:31:08and facilities for the London Paralympics,
0:31:08 > 0:31:11she switched in 2010 from representing Canada
0:31:11 > 0:31:13to becoming a British athlete.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16That meant leaving her husband Brent behind in Canada.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20But it did mean she could become a full-time athlete.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26I still kind of choke on the words now, "I'm a professional athlete."
0:31:26 > 0:31:29It is hard to say but I think, actually...
0:31:29 > 0:31:31OK, the moment that really crystallised it for me...
0:31:32 > 0:31:34I was at a gym, I was travelling.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37I wasn't in Loughborough, I was at a gym, you know.
0:31:37 > 0:31:41It's nice because you can go in and be anonymous and I was squatting.
0:31:41 > 0:31:42- And...- With weights?
0:31:42 > 0:31:44Yes, you have like a bar behind your back
0:31:44 > 0:31:48and, you know, you can do quite a lot of weight on it.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50It looks very impressive.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53And, erm, there were these two guys,
0:31:53 > 0:31:56either in their late teens or early 20s.
0:31:56 > 0:31:57And they came up to me
0:31:57 > 0:32:02and asked if I could help them out with their squats.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05I was just sitting there thinking, like...
0:32:05 > 0:32:10"They have just asked a girl with one leg for help squatting."
0:32:10 > 0:32:13So, that was the first time I thought, "Wow, people must obviously
0:32:13 > 0:32:17"take me seriously as an athlete," and that did feel good.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21By becoming a professional athlete, Stef was full of hope
0:32:21 > 0:32:24that she could do one better at London 2012
0:32:24 > 0:32:26by winning silver, or maybe gold.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30This competitive streak is a trait those closest to her
0:32:30 > 0:32:32see on a daily basis.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36We have silly little games around the house,
0:32:36 > 0:32:39even who can squeeze the last little bit
0:32:39 > 0:32:41out of the toothpaste container,
0:32:41 > 0:32:46and so if you can imagine taking that to the Paralympics,
0:32:46 > 0:32:54it's difficult so she'll take it quite hard,
0:32:54 > 0:33:00but then it drives her forward and so, like I said,
0:33:00 > 0:33:03she's got a really strong work ethic.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06If she didn't achieve what she wanted to achieve
0:33:06 > 0:33:09in a certain area, whether it's sport or otherwise,
0:33:09 > 0:33:12it'll make her try harder in the future
0:33:12 > 0:33:14and so that's what she's done.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16At the end of the day, the athletes have got to have talent.
0:33:16 > 0:33:17You know, the saying goes,
0:33:17 > 0:33:20"You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear,"
0:33:20 > 0:33:22so you've got to have someone
0:33:22 > 0:33:24who has the ability to start with.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29That's almost base level because, on top of that,
0:33:29 > 0:33:34what you then require is someone who has, one, the belief, the desire
0:33:34 > 0:33:38and the motivation to actually be the best or to better themselves.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41It's not even about being better than someone else.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44It's being better than themselves.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47That's the most important thing because they're driven
0:33:47 > 0:33:51by being better than they were last week, last year, last month.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54As an elite athlete, the difference between a podium place
0:33:54 > 0:33:58and walking away with nothing comes down to small margins
0:33:58 > 0:34:02and crucial to Stef's success, whether jumping or sprinting,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05is the quality of the prosthetic limb she performs on.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10- You're wearing your prosthetic leg right now.- I am.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13So, how much is a prosthetic leg?
0:34:14 > 0:34:16It can range. I'd probably put them
0:34:16 > 0:34:18at a range between £5,000 to £15,000.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20Hmm. So, this one?
0:34:20 > 0:34:22In terms of value of components, you're probably
0:34:22 > 0:34:27looking at about 3,000, but the real craftsmanship is in the socket.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30That's what takes the time. You do tonnes of different test sockets.
0:34:30 > 0:34:34You need someone who's an expert who can do it and for that reason,
0:34:34 > 0:34:38it's really hard to value the work, especially cos I didn't have a bill.
0:34:38 > 0:34:43- I couldn't afford them is the answer.- Now, how many do you have?
0:34:43 > 0:34:48- I have five.- Five?- Yeah. - So, a day to day, a blade...
0:34:48 > 0:34:50Day to day, I have my everyday leg.
0:34:50 > 0:34:55I have three sport legs, so I have my competition running leg,
0:34:55 > 0:34:58I have my competition jumping leg and then I have what's called,
0:34:58 > 0:35:00like, a jogging leg
0:35:00 > 0:35:04so if I wanted to do a sport like basketball or volleyball
0:35:04 > 0:35:07that needs side-to-side movement, not just running in a straight line,
0:35:07 > 0:35:11then I would use that one and then I have a three-inch high-heel leg.
0:35:11 > 0:35:15- For parties?- Yes!- With stilettos that fit?- Yeah, it does.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17Actually, it's hilarious
0:35:17 > 0:35:19because the only way that I can find a shoe that fits
0:35:19 > 0:35:21is I literally have to go into the store
0:35:21 > 0:35:23- with the leg and I just think... - Try it on!
0:35:23 > 0:35:26Exactly. I need something that fits the shape of this foot.
0:35:26 > 0:35:27- The arch...- Exactly.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29And so their faces are brilliant
0:35:29 > 0:35:32and they're trying desperately not to react
0:35:32 > 0:35:34and I'll just purposely act
0:35:34 > 0:35:37- like it's the most natural thing in the world.- Exactly.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41But the leg that's made her really famous,
0:35:41 > 0:35:45and at the same time is the hardest to design, is the blade.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49The man responsible is Richard Nieveen.
0:35:49 > 0:35:54The prosthesis is fundamental to any athlete.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57It has to be comfortable and it has to be secure.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59The loads that are going through
0:35:59 > 0:36:02the prosthesis are considerable.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06In long jump, by example, they're ten times body weight
0:36:06 > 0:36:12so comfort is a priority, such that we're not causing injury.
0:36:12 > 0:36:18When I qualified some 25 years ago, our core materials were wood,
0:36:18 > 0:36:21they were metal, they were leather
0:36:21 > 0:36:24and the materials today are primarily
0:36:24 > 0:36:29the carbon fibre technology that at that point was used in aerospace
0:36:29 > 0:36:33and defence is now used in prosthetics.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41In the run-up to London 2012, Stef, on the surface,
0:36:41 > 0:36:44had everything set up to go for gold.
0:36:44 > 0:36:48# It's looking like a beautiful day... #
0:36:48 > 0:36:53A new training base, new coaches and a state-of-the-art prosthetic blade.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57# When my face is chamois-creased... #
0:36:59 > 0:37:01But then a problem emerged.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05Stef was starting to feel the strain of being a professional athlete
0:37:05 > 0:37:09while living apart from her husband and family.
0:37:09 > 0:37:14In the run-up to the 2012 Olympics, I believe you had some doubts.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17Your heart wasn't quite in the right place.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19I think it was...
0:37:19 > 0:37:23You know, I was starting to really feel the strain
0:37:23 > 0:37:27of living apart from Brent, living apart from my family.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29There was a lot of pressure.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32It was the first time in my life I'd ever had sponsors,
0:37:32 > 0:37:35not that I had any pressure from the sponsors.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37They were amazing. But it was just that I didn't want
0:37:37 > 0:37:41to let anyone down, I didn't want to let the country down
0:37:41 > 0:37:43and things were not going well
0:37:43 > 0:37:47and I remember I was competing at a meet
0:37:47 > 0:37:51and my mum had called me shortly after
0:37:51 > 0:37:54and she could hear in my voice that things weren't right
0:37:54 > 0:37:57and she wasn't buying the, "No, no, I'm fine," and so finally
0:37:57 > 0:38:00I think I just burst into tears and, you know,
0:38:00 > 0:38:04just finally said what I'd been trying to avoid thinking about.
0:38:04 > 0:38:10"I just don't know if I can do it. I don't know what to do."
0:38:10 > 0:38:12And she was brilliant.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16She was not a happy camper at that time.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20I simply said, "Well, there's two choices.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24"You can continue or you can walk away and quit.
0:38:24 > 0:38:29"However, if you walk away and quit, you'll never know what might be."
0:38:29 > 0:38:33I was very impressed that she decided
0:38:33 > 0:38:36to go forward with the challenge.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40I'm a firm believer that, yes, it's great to have support around you
0:38:40 > 0:38:42and have people who want to guide you
0:38:42 > 0:38:49and help you to move forward, but you've got to have that inner fire.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52You have to bring it to the table to do
0:38:52 > 0:38:55and have the passion to move forward and do this.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59But Stef also felt, before London 2012,
0:38:59 > 0:39:02that she had somebody else on her side.
0:39:02 > 0:39:03I was really nervous
0:39:03 > 0:39:04because I'd had an injury
0:39:04 > 0:39:06and I hadn't prepared for it as I wanted to
0:39:06 > 0:39:10and yet you don't want to go out there and let the home crowd down
0:39:10 > 0:39:14and so I was with my friend James, who was also...
0:39:14 > 0:39:18He was one of the chaplains there and we'd known each other
0:39:18 > 0:39:25from a few years ago and he prayed with me before I went to this race.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28I really got this sense of God saying to me,
0:39:28 > 0:39:29"This is what I've called you to."
0:39:29 > 0:39:33- COMMENTARY:- She is in good form, regularly going over 5m in training.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36Inspired, Stef dealt with the pressures on her...
0:39:36 > 0:39:39That's a good jump from Stef Reid.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44..overcame her self doubts and won silver in the long jump.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47I knew that Stefanie was the kind of person who would go on
0:39:47 > 0:39:49to do great things no matter what,
0:39:49 > 0:39:54that the severity of her injury in no way would define her
0:39:54 > 0:39:56and her goodness and greatness
0:39:56 > 0:39:58and the contributions that she would make.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03Winning silver at the most successful Paralympics ever
0:40:03 > 0:40:06brought Stef to people's attention.
0:40:07 > 0:40:12And she was approached by Debenhams to take part in a fashion campaign
0:40:12 > 0:40:14which aimed to change people's attitudes
0:40:14 > 0:40:19to the stereotypes around body image, including disability.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27One person was at the front of my mind and that was Stef
0:40:27 > 0:40:31because I knew that she would be just right for this.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33I knew she loved clothes,
0:40:33 > 0:40:40I knew that she would be that elegant body in my images.
0:40:40 > 0:40:46I knew that her walk would be great, I knew that she would be able
0:40:46 > 0:40:48to give the best of herself, really, and fit in.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51Everything I'd seen from Stef, you know,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54from her motivated approach
0:40:54 > 0:40:57made me feel she was absolutely the right woman for the job.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01This thing about, obviously, prosthetics can be sexy,
0:41:01 > 0:41:06attractive, as can anything that's happening to your body. It's OK.
0:41:06 > 0:41:07- Yeah.- Very powerful.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10Do you know, it was really special
0:41:10 > 0:41:13when I was originally asked to do it. It was just something that...
0:41:15 > 0:41:19I don't know, I just never really considered that I would be asked.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21I think when the accident happened,
0:41:21 > 0:41:23I was obviously a young teenage girl
0:41:23 > 0:41:26and you're already going through a number of different challenges
0:41:26 > 0:41:31in terms of how you look and I think probably one of the best things
0:41:31 > 0:41:34about it was at that age, I just kind of realised,
0:41:34 > 0:41:36"Do you know what? I'm not going to look like
0:41:36 > 0:41:37"these girls in the magazines,"
0:41:37 > 0:41:40and so I kind of just had the freedom to completely remove myself
0:41:40 > 0:41:42from any of those standards
0:41:42 > 0:41:46and I kind of went on my own journey to accepting the way
0:41:46 > 0:41:49my prosthetic leg looked - from being really embarrassed about it
0:41:49 > 0:41:54to being, like, "Yeah, you should stare cos it looks awesome!"
0:41:54 > 0:41:55Yeah.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58The dress that Stef wore was a John Rocha cocktail dress
0:41:58 > 0:42:00with her black blade.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03The dress very quickly sold out.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05What that proves
0:42:05 > 0:42:10is that we don't need to see models
0:42:10 > 0:42:14who are airbrushed and tall, thin, young.
0:42:14 > 0:42:19We want to see individuals, we want to see inspirational women,
0:42:19 > 0:42:22we want to see women who present some differentness
0:42:22 > 0:42:27so that we can all see where we fit in and that we are a community
0:42:27 > 0:42:31and for me, that was real proof
0:42:31 > 0:42:36that when we choose a broader range of models, everybody loves it.
0:42:36 > 0:42:42I want to do everything that I can just to project
0:42:42 > 0:42:44an image of someone that, yeah, looks different
0:42:44 > 0:42:46and, yes, does not look like a Vogue model
0:42:46 > 0:42:48or someone you would typically see,
0:42:48 > 0:42:51but actually is really happy with her body
0:42:51 > 0:42:52and with her skin and what it can do.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55- And we don't look all the same, anyway.- No, we don't.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59- Why try and aspire to look the same thing?- Exactly.
0:42:59 > 0:43:04One of the best, I don't know, self-esteem moments for me
0:43:04 > 0:43:09was being in elite sports and realising,
0:43:09 > 0:43:13"Do you know what? Elite female athletes also have cellulite."
0:43:15 > 0:43:18- I know!- Do you?- I do!
0:43:18 > 0:43:22Fashion aside, the Rio Paralympics were fast approaching
0:43:22 > 0:43:25and Stef desperately hoped she could do one better
0:43:25 > 0:43:28than her London 2012 silver.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31I got a bronze in Beijing, I got a silver in London.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35You know, what a fairy tale to suddenly get the gold in Rio.
0:43:35 > 0:43:36I knew that I had a shot
0:43:36 > 0:43:40and I've always been in kind of two minds
0:43:40 > 0:43:43about how do I pray before going into a meet
0:43:43 > 0:43:47and obviously my instinct is, "God, please let me win!"
0:43:47 > 0:43:51But, at the same time, he's not a tame power source,
0:43:51 > 0:43:53I don't just kind of dictate to him, "I would like this,
0:43:53 > 0:43:56"this and this," and think that it's just going to happen.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59God's on everyone's side. He can't just single you out.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02Exactly right and he loves everyone and he honours everyone's work
0:44:02 > 0:44:04and so it's a ridiculous prayer to pray, "Please let me win,"
0:44:04 > 0:44:08but I still pray it just in case. But I'm pretty sure it doesn't help.
0:44:08 > 0:44:10But I'm very clear in my mind now.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12I feel very much called to be an athlete.
0:44:12 > 0:44:15I know that that is what God wants me to do in my life right now
0:44:15 > 0:44:16and I take it really seriously.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19I'm going to be the best athlete that I can be.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21- NEWS REPORT:- Stef Reid leapt to the lead in the women's long jump
0:44:21 > 0:44:24with a leap of 5.64m.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26But Rio wasn't to be Stef's year.
0:44:26 > 0:44:30French athlete Marie-Amelie Le Fur broke the world record
0:44:30 > 0:44:33to pip Stef at the post and take gold.
0:44:33 > 0:44:34- COMMENTARY:- Well, there's tidy
0:44:34 > 0:44:37and there's super-tidy by the French athlete.
0:44:37 > 0:44:39Marie-Amelie, she jumped amazingly
0:44:39 > 0:44:43and I jumped well and, you know,
0:44:43 > 0:44:46my coach Aston, he was fantastic. He can obviously...
0:44:46 > 0:44:51He knows me and he knew that was hard
0:44:51 > 0:44:57and he looked me in the eye and he said,
0:44:57 > 0:45:01"Well done, that was a good silver. You be proud of that."
0:45:01 > 0:45:06And I was, but it still hurts.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:45:13 > 0:45:19Then this year, in the London Para Athletics World Championships,
0:45:19 > 0:45:21that hope as a teenager that she could overcome
0:45:21 > 0:45:26the cruellest of blows in life and be the best finally came to pass.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29- COMMENTARY:- ..which means Stef Reid
0:45:29 > 0:45:31is the World Para Athletics champion.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35Stef won that long awaited long jump gold.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39Oh, wow, I was there and that was very, very exciting.
0:45:39 > 0:45:46That was definitely a very, very delightfully sweet moment
0:45:46 > 0:45:50and position to be in. It was electric. It was amazing.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52It was thrilling. We loved it!
0:45:52 > 0:45:54I've been doing this for, gosh, 11 years now
0:45:54 > 0:46:00and it's taken so long and it's so satisfying to finally get there
0:46:00 > 0:46:04and a lot of athletes never get to do this
0:46:04 > 0:46:06and I'm just so thankful that I've got to the top.
0:46:06 > 0:46:09For Stef, only the gold medal matters.
0:46:09 > 0:46:13She wants to be number one, she wants to be first.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15She pushes herself to be the best that she can be,
0:46:15 > 0:46:20regardless of the obstacles in front of her,
0:46:20 > 0:46:23and given the fact that she wears a blade,
0:46:23 > 0:46:26I can see exactly where that attitude comes from.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29So, this summer, you won gold.
0:46:29 > 0:46:33- It was amazing, but not for the reasons I expected it to be.- Yeah.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35The reason it was so special was, one,
0:46:35 > 0:46:39because this had been a long journey for me, you know.
0:46:39 > 0:46:44It took me - gosh, what? - 11 years to finally do this.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47I was 32.
0:46:47 > 0:46:52It's not always that common that you keep improving in older age,
0:46:52 > 0:46:55but I stuck with it and I finally got there.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57CAMERA CLICKS
0:46:59 > 0:47:02Stef's determination on the running track was mirrored
0:47:02 > 0:47:06in her approach to the challenges presented by the fashion world.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08So, when she was asked by fashion designer Lenie Boya
0:47:08 > 0:47:10to take part in London Fashion Week
0:47:10 > 0:47:14as the first-ever amputee on one of their catwalks,
0:47:14 > 0:47:16Stef was ready to strut her stuff
0:47:16 > 0:47:19and send out a positive message about disability.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26It was called the Alternative Limb Project and it was brilliant
0:47:26 > 0:47:29because the Alternative Limb Project,
0:47:29 > 0:47:31the ethos behind it is that, you know,
0:47:31 > 0:47:34forget about making limbs that look real.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37Let's turn them into fashion accessories.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39And so it was just this idea of, you know,
0:47:39 > 0:47:42forget trying to go back to being normal.
0:47:42 > 0:47:46Let's take this as a creative opportunity
0:47:46 > 0:47:49to create something that you couldn't do with a real leg.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52Let's make it, "Oh, I wish I had an artificial leg,"
0:47:52 > 0:47:54instead of, "Oh, I'm really sorry,"
0:47:54 > 0:47:56which, OK, fine, maybe is a step too far,
0:47:56 > 0:47:59so we ended up designing this incredible leg
0:47:59 > 0:48:02that fit these two outfits that Lenie had made
0:48:02 > 0:48:03and we turned, actually,
0:48:03 > 0:48:07one of my old running blades into a stiletto high heel that...
0:48:07 > 0:48:10I think the best way to describe it is that it looks like a chandelier.
0:48:10 > 0:48:13I mean, you just need to look at the photo and then there was the thing
0:48:13 > 0:48:16where you had to learn to walk with it cos, I mean, first of all,
0:48:16 > 0:48:18blades are designed only to run.
0:48:18 > 0:48:20They're actually incredibly uncomfortable to walk on.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23Now, consider you've put a stiletto on the other leg,
0:48:23 > 0:48:25you've turned the blade into a stiletto
0:48:25 > 0:48:27and you're having to walk
0:48:27 > 0:48:29an, I mean, you can't just walk the London Fashion Week.
0:48:29 > 0:48:32- You have to walk it with attitude. - Yes.
0:48:32 > 0:48:34It was so much fun.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37We mustn't underestimate the importance of seeing images
0:48:37 > 0:48:42like this because they're highly glamorous,
0:48:42 > 0:48:46they go out in a sort of very high status setting
0:48:46 > 0:48:52and they speak to other people of beauty and elegance and difference.
0:48:54 > 0:48:56Ready?
0:48:56 > 0:48:59Three, two, one...
0:48:59 > 0:49:01Go!
0:49:01 > 0:49:03Not content with just being a fashion model,
0:49:03 > 0:49:07Stef decided to try her hand at starring in a short feature film.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13The Energy Within is the story of an athlete
0:49:13 > 0:49:15who is embarrassed that she has a prosthetic leg
0:49:15 > 0:49:19and tries to lie her way into an able-bodied group of athletes.
0:49:39 > 0:49:44I wrote the script about a year and a half ago
0:49:44 > 0:49:48and I knew I could only make the project if I had someone
0:49:48 > 0:49:52that knew the world better than I did
0:49:52 > 0:49:57because I'm not disabled and I'm not an athlete so with my producer,
0:49:57 > 0:50:01we went online and I literally e-mailed her fan page,
0:50:01 > 0:50:07fully expecting never to hear about that again, except she replied.
0:50:07 > 0:50:09It was really great because people have asked a few times,
0:50:09 > 0:50:11"Oh, are you going to write a book?"
0:50:11 > 0:50:13And I've just never felt compelled to
0:50:13 > 0:50:15and part of the reason I've never felt compelled to
0:50:15 > 0:50:20is because chronology doesn't really mean that much to me
0:50:20 > 0:50:24and even during the accident, a lot of the chronology for me
0:50:24 > 0:50:27is mixed up because when...
0:50:27 > 0:50:30Obviously, if immediately you're in shock, you're on painkillers
0:50:30 > 0:50:33and emotions just kind of skew things,
0:50:33 > 0:50:36but what I do remember is how I felt
0:50:36 > 0:50:39and I feel like that came across in the movie.
0:50:39 > 0:50:42It was the emotions, it was the feelings that were important
0:50:42 > 0:50:44and it was a really, really honest look.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47- SHE SPEAKS FRENCH - Hey, hey!
0:50:47 > 0:50:51- What is your problem? - Hey! Calm down, OK?
0:50:51 > 0:50:54- This looks really bad.- No, don't... No, DON'T!
0:50:54 > 0:50:55What?
0:50:56 > 0:50:58Are you kidding me?
0:50:58 > 0:51:00- I'm training with an invalid!- Kebe!
0:51:03 > 0:51:06- You don't think this was worth mentioning?- Just leave me.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12- I think it's broken. I think you... - Just leave!
0:51:12 > 0:51:14Just LEAVE!
0:51:18 > 0:51:20OK, session's over, Kebe.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22Having never been in a film,
0:51:22 > 0:51:25the director was concerned whether Stef could act,
0:51:25 > 0:51:27but Stef applied the same discipline to learning
0:51:27 > 0:51:31that skill as she did to learning how to run fast or jump far.
0:51:34 > 0:51:38There was homework which she did and then asked for more
0:51:38 > 0:51:42and I think the funniest...
0:51:42 > 0:51:45The most indicative thing that she did that I loved
0:51:45 > 0:51:48was when we would practise.
0:51:48 > 0:51:52When we do rehearsals, at the end of a scene,
0:51:52 > 0:51:54she would then stand up straight, put her arms behind her back
0:51:54 > 0:51:57and kind of go, "Right, so what are your notes?"
0:51:58 > 0:52:02Like an athlete would at the end of a race talking to a coach.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06She said that in athletics, you know exactly how well you're doing
0:52:06 > 0:52:08because you know how fast you're running or how far you jump,
0:52:08 > 0:52:11whereas here in acting,
0:52:11 > 0:52:15that's the hardest thing is that you never really know how you're doing.
0:52:15 > 0:52:19We were doing a scene
0:52:19 > 0:52:22where I was basically at the doctor's office
0:52:22 > 0:52:23and I was in a wheelchair
0:52:23 > 0:52:26and things with the prosthetic hadn't gone well
0:52:26 > 0:52:28and just really revisiting those emotions
0:52:28 > 0:52:31of just total dejection and hopelessness.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34And I spent an entire morning obviously acting like that
0:52:34 > 0:52:37and then I couldn't understand why I just felt rotten
0:52:37 > 0:52:40for the rest of the day, and you just kind of absorb it
0:52:40 > 0:52:45and the best way to act is, again, just to revisit those moments
0:52:45 > 0:52:47where things did not go well
0:52:47 > 0:52:51and you felt like a failure and you felt like giving up and...
0:52:51 > 0:52:54Yeah, it wasn't fun, but it was also really, really...
0:52:54 > 0:52:58I don't know, I guess healing?
0:52:58 > 0:53:01It was good to remember where I've come from.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04But despite her venture into movies,
0:53:04 > 0:53:08Stef's main focus is still international athletics.
0:53:08 > 0:53:11I had a look at your website and it says something like,
0:53:11 > 0:53:15"2018 - plans still in work."
0:53:15 > 0:53:18So, that means you're obviously planning something,
0:53:18 > 0:53:20so what's going on?
0:53:20 > 0:53:27Well, Brent and I recently made the decision that we do want
0:53:27 > 0:53:31to commit to Tokyo 2020, which is incredibly exciting.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34We always knew that we would go through till 2017
0:53:34 > 0:53:37and then we were just going to see how things were.
0:53:37 > 0:53:40Obviously, I'm now 33, he's 37.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43We are slightly older than your average Paralympian,
0:53:43 > 0:53:46you could say, but we just feel like we're still getting better.
0:53:46 > 0:53:50It's such a privilege to do this and to have this lifestyle
0:53:50 > 0:53:51and I just think we're still loving it.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54We're going to do it for as long...
0:53:54 > 0:53:56It's a short window so we're going to make the most of it.
0:53:59 > 0:54:05Paralympian, actor, fashion icon, role model -
0:54:05 > 0:54:09Stef Reid has, in the 18 years since losing her lower right leg,
0:54:09 > 0:54:12already made her mark on sport and society.
0:54:14 > 0:54:19Having someone like Stef in our media is vital.
0:54:19 > 0:54:23She's inspirational and she's an individual
0:54:23 > 0:54:27and that's the joy of working with someone like her.
0:54:27 > 0:54:31Some people put their faith, let's say, in sports psych, yeah?
0:54:31 > 0:54:34Stef, I'd probably put her faith in God, yeah?
0:54:34 > 0:54:38And from that perspective, that works just as well.
0:54:38 > 0:54:41Her confidence is not rooted in pride,
0:54:41 > 0:54:44but in a real knowledge of her own strength
0:54:44 > 0:54:47and an understanding of herself as a person
0:54:47 > 0:54:52and that connection between mind and body and soul and that ultimately
0:54:52 > 0:54:57God is her strength and will grant her the desires of her heart.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:55:00 > 0:55:02And Christmas, finally, the pair of you.
0:55:02 > 0:55:08- You have family obviously in Canada, some still in the UK?- Mm-hmm.
0:55:08 > 0:55:11So, how do you split your time?
0:55:11 > 0:55:13Oh, we're undecided this year.
0:55:13 > 0:55:16I guess part of the nice thing about being a couple without kids
0:55:16 > 0:55:19is that you're free to have the really indulgent Christmas
0:55:19 > 0:55:21where you just sleep in and have a lovely lazy day.
0:55:21 > 0:55:24You know, to be honest, it's been a really busy two years
0:55:24 > 0:55:28and it's really nice just to have that time, just the two of us
0:55:28 > 0:55:30catching up, just getting to be together
0:55:30 > 0:55:32and just do really fun, normal things.
0:55:32 > 0:55:36And does church come into it? Will you go to church on Christmas Day?
0:55:36 > 0:55:38Definitely. We don't always go to church on Christmas Day,
0:55:38 > 0:55:44which probably sounds quite weird. But for me, church is...
0:55:44 > 0:55:47The primary function of church is community.
0:55:47 > 0:55:49The church we went to in Dallas,
0:55:49 > 0:55:51they didn't even open on Christmas Day
0:55:51 > 0:55:54because they felt that family is so important, you know.
0:55:54 > 0:55:56"We don't want people having to wake up early
0:55:56 > 0:56:00"and feel like it's a chore and feel like they're rushing to get here."
0:56:00 > 0:56:02It's the relationships that, at the end of the day,
0:56:02 > 0:56:07that's what's most important and, for me, Christmas is about that.
0:56:07 > 0:56:11Stef, it's been such a pleasure to meet you. Really lovely.
0:56:11 > 0:56:15Good luck for 2020 and for all the dreams you may have
0:56:15 > 0:56:19- for you and Brent.- Oh, thank you! I really appreciate that.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23Wow! What an inspiration Stef is, isn't she?
0:56:23 > 0:56:26She's survived that terrible accident, she's gone on
0:56:26 > 0:56:30and forged a terrific career and come out with a gold medal.
0:56:30 > 0:56:32All of us hit bumps in the road at some times in our life
0:56:32 > 0:56:34and it can be difficult to get over them,
0:56:34 > 0:56:36but she's shown us that we can.
0:56:36 > 0:56:38# So, what happens now?
0:56:38 > 0:56:40# Another suitcase in another hall... #
0:56:40 > 0:56:41Next week, I'm in Edinburgh
0:56:41 > 0:56:44to meet Scottish singer and actress Barbara Dickson.
0:56:44 > 0:56:47She's been performing for nearly 50 years,
0:56:47 > 0:56:49but fame has never sat easily with her.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54I was afraid of losing my soul,
0:56:54 > 0:56:56losing my identity.
0:56:56 > 0:56:59A sudden attack of stage fright
0:56:59 > 0:57:02and exhaustion meant that Barbara took a break.
0:57:02 > 0:57:06I think she just went, "Bang! This is too much."
0:57:06 > 0:57:10But her Christian faith has carried her through.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13God looks after me. I just put my hand
0:57:13 > 0:57:15in this great big hand.
0:57:15 > 0:57:16This is my hand.
0:57:16 > 0:57:19It goes into a great big hand
0:57:19 > 0:57:23and he just says, "You're OK."