EXCLUSIVE: Billy Monger was involved in what was described as one of British motorsports most horrific crashes resulting in a double leg amputation but now he is helping others
Inspiring Billy Monger is desperate to complete the Race Across the World challenge three years on from the agonising phone call that forced his withdrawal with the finishing line in sight.
The fearless double amputee joined his sister Bonnie on the globe-spanning adventure of a lifetime but his dream of winning the programme vanished when he was told his dad had been involved in a serious car accident.
The pair hot-footed it home to be by his side and now Rob has made a recovery, he want to return to Berlin with his family and finish off what he started.
World-record-breaking triathlete Billy sat down with the Mirror to discuss his new series which airs on YouTube today. The show was his own idea and sees him meeting four children with disabilities, each with their own individual story and relationship with sport.
Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.
Across the series, Billy works with them to find new ways to get involved in the sports they love, build confidence and discover new opportunities within their communities.
That is a really personal thing for the 26-year-old as he approached the ten year anniversary of the crash that cost him his legs – and so nearly his life.
The star has not let the accident suffered at the British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park when he was 17 define him. He has raised almost £5million for charity but the Helen Rollason Award winner at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year says he has unfinished business with Celebrity Race Around the World after his emergency exit in 2023.
“I had no idea when I signed up for it that the show was so big,” he said. “We watched one episode before we said yes – it wasn’t really on my radar but for six months that’s the main thing people were asking me about.
“We were on the final leg of the series and we were starting ahead of everyone else. Finally after all that time we were starting to make things happen.
“Then came the family emergency. Dad was in a car accident, we were out filming and we’re standing there at the check point in Berlin and the next thing you know we’re being shooed back to the hotel and we’re put on a Facetime call with my mum and my aunty.
“They told us the news. For me and my sister it wasn’t a hard decision. At that point you have to be with the people you love and be at home. We got on the next flight, it was time to go home.
“I don’t know if I could see myself doing the whole thing again but we have talked, and now my dad has recovered, we have spoken about us four all doing that leg of the journey together.
“We would go to Berlin and then do the final part of journey we missed. It would round off the story a little bit. That is something one day we’ll hopefully get to do.”
Billy can’t wait for the world to see his big new project with the first of the five-parter landing on Wednesday as he helps mentor youngsters who have faced similar challenges.
“I’m a few years older than most of them, but the idea is that I can help them where I can and find that common bond,” he said.
“With the help of Toyota, we can give them a bit of a platform to be able to try things for the first time. Their challenges are a little different but there are so many similarities.
“Before we started filming, we had a group conversation together and we talked through certain stigmas, and areas they were struggling with. Things like body image, and how things change with young people. We also talk about identity and we have come really powerful conversations.
“I’ve done a lot of charity work, we’ve had an impact on a lot of people but this felt like an opportunity to do something on a one-to-one basis and to have some form of mentoring and see the change while they learn about themselves and have some fun as well.”
Catch Billy’s brilliant new YouTube show here.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
