You'd be hard pushed to find anyone more upbeat than Milly Pickles. The 27-year-old para-athlete, social media star and fitness and disability advocate, who suffered life-threatening injuries and lost a leg in an accident seven years ago, is a beacon of positivity.
Nothing gets in her way – whether that's running the London Marathon in April or reporting on this year's Paralympic Games from Paris, despite having no previous experience of presenting.
"My accident made me so grateful for life," she tells HELLO! "It's better to have no leg than being dead, so I thank my lucky stars. I learnt the value of life, and I want to live life to the max and help people, because life is too short."
Presenting the Paralympics
Her natural ability on camera, along with her passion for sport, made her a shoe-in to join Channel 4's presenting team. She's currently reporting live on the 12-day event from the French capital – "Luckily, I don't swear that much," she jokes – and seems unfazed by the responsibility.
"It's nerve-racking, but then I think: 'You're just talking to a human being. It's about not being scared of the camera, and if you're having fun, the people at home will too.'"
Milly's remarkable journey began in September 2017, when she was 20 years old and studying for a degree in marketing at Bournemouth University. She had just secured a placement with Chelsea Football Club and was, she says, "the happiest I'd ever been."
Her terrifying accident
In a moment that has been eradicated from her memory, Milly was electrocuted. There are still many questions around the accident, as she struggles to recall what happened – "My brain doesn't remember". All she does know is that a current travelled from her right heel up her leg, across her pelvis and down her left leg to her foot.
"I have no idea why it didn't go through my brain. I'm still having to live my life not knowing why this happened to me; it was never found out. But I've accepted it and am at peace with it because if I wasn't, I'd be living in misery."
She was in hospital for two and a half months, during which time she underwent 25 operations, including the amputation of her right leg.
Body positivity
She is passionate about body positivity – "It's so important for people to see someone who looks like them, no matter how you look" – as well as raising awareness around disability.
"I knew I was saved for a reason, but I didn't know what that was. So when I first posted on Instagram, I thought: 'I've got to address the elephant in the room. This is what's happened. This is what I know. And this is me now.'
"It's important for people to understand what it's like to live as an amputee, and it's good for other amputees to connect. I was able to build that community."
To read the full exclusive interview, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK on Monday. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.
