In an exclusive interview and photoshoot with HELLO! magazine, former Blue Peter presenter Katy Hill reveals how she wants to welcome her sixth decade by climbing Mount Snowdon and riding the world's fastest zip line.
"This is the threshold of a whole new adventure," Katy, who poses at Hampton Manor, says of turning 50 in April. "I think a lot of people hit 50 and it's the same old, same old, but I can't wait for the next chapter. If you hit a big milestone birthday and you're not fulfilled and you're not living the life you want – you feel like you're on a hamster wheel – that's when it would hit hard.
"We're almost casual about life but it's such a gift. What I love about turning 50 is you have a confidence that only comes at this age. I really don't care what people think of me now. I wish we could give our 20-year-olds this same sense of self."
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Katy's zest for life is hardly surprising after she suffered a freak fall at home in Oxfordshire 18 months ago, which has left a large scar in the middle of her forehead and could have proved fatal.
"I was messing about and racing my daughter to the toilet when my sheepskin boot caught the top step and I flew across the floor and face-planted the toilet lid," she recalls. "It was horrendous; the doctors were stitching me up for an hour. Apparently, the skull is really thin just above the eyebrow and to the side and they were telling me how people have been killed just by someone throwing a magazine at them, so I feel incredibly lucky. I realised how life can change in a split second."
"I really don't care what people think of me now," Katy says
Katy also tells the magazine how the accident fuelled her in her new career as a personal development coach.
"I almost feel like life has come full circle," she says. "On Blue Peter I encouraged others to play big and face their fears and that's what I do now. I used to get so many letters from girls, and now a lot of those same girls come to me for coaching and they feel like they've come on the journey with me. It's so lovely to be able to empower and encourage them as women."
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