“Life’s too short”: Amputee Milly Pickles on being Paralympics presenter
It’s been a big year for Milly Pickles. Between running the London Marathon and becoming the first amputee to complete the Red Bull 400 (dubbed as the world’s toughest 400 metre race), the 27-year-old para-athlete and content creator has accomplished a lot. But over the next 12 days, Milly Pickles has a new challenge: showcasing ParalympicsGB as a presenter at the Paralympics Games Paris 2024.
But for Milly, it’s just another exciting challenge to put her all in to.
“I’m unbelievably excited and over the moon,” says Milly. “The fact that Channel 4 even trust me to do a good job, and that I’m helping to showcase the Paralympics to the world is insane. It’s an absolute honour.”
Underneath all the excitement of being selected as part of the presenting team is a long road of determination that has led Milly to this point.
“When I was 20, I was on a work placement as part of my four-year university degree in marketing,” she explains. “Two months later, my accident happened. I ended up getting electrocuted and I was fighting for my life and my legs.”
Milly calls it a “miracle” that she’s alive following the accident, which she can’t remember the details of. Her body was left with 36 percent burns and surgeons thought she’d end up losing both legs. However, after 25 surgeries, they ended up amputating Milly’s right leg 15cm below her knee.
Even from early on, Milly had a positive mindset, spending time learning Spanish and setting her sights on becoming a para-athlete. After two and a half months in hospital where she learned to walk again and adjusted to life with a prosthetic, Milly ditched her crutches and was discharged from hospital early.
“The only way my accident impacted me was that it made my drive increase tenfold. I have this desperation to live the best life I possibly can because I know what it’s like for life to be nearly taken from you,” says Milly.
After recovering, Milly headed back to university to finish her degree. She began sharing her journey online to connect with other amputees and her following grew rapidly. Milly has continued to create content that shows off her infectious, positive mindset over the last seven years.
“I want people to see that you really can live a good life,” explains Milly. “For me, it’s just showcasing that if you put your mind to something, you can achieve in whatever way you can. As long as you’re doing what you’re saying you’re going to do – or try to do, I think that’s incredible,” says Milly.
Within just the last year, Milly has tackled some incredible challenges herself. She completed the London Marathon using her new running blade, while last September she took on the Red Bull 400 – a 400-metre sprint up a hill with a gradient of 37 degrees (that’s an elevation gain of 140 metres).
“I just thought to myself, the only way that I’m going to get through this is with my mind,” says Milly. “At some points, my foot would slip, and I would think ‘God, am I going to roll back?’, but once I got to the top, that feeling of self-belief was insane.
“I was the first amputee to do it. I just couldn’t believe I’d actually just done it,” Milly says.
Despite being dubbed as the world’s toughest 400 metres, Milly says that she’d definitely do it again. However, this year she’s a little busy – this September she’s diving head-first into presenting the Paralympics, bringing us all the updates about ParalympicsGB.
“I love sport, and the fact that I’ll be able to interview by the Eiffel Tower, or watch these sports live at Versailles, while also showcasing it to the world is just amazing. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” says Milly.
With 12 days of incredible sport ahead, Milly is most excited about watching the athletics and the wheelchair tennis. However, she’ll also have her eye on the powerlifting.
“I actually have a friend, Liam McGarry, who got paralysed from the waist down two months before my accident, who’ll be competing in powerlifting, so it’ll be amazing to see him compete too.”
Alongside showcasing the athletes at Paris 2024, Milly is also keen to represent the disabled community, particularly those who are also amputees.
“Having people on TV that look like you shows you that you’re not alone and that you are going to be ok,” says Milly. “Especially when you’re young, your beliefs can really impact you, so having that representation from early on will be able to help you flourish into a stronger, more resilient, adaptable individual.”
By being involved in the Paralympic presenting team and continuing to post on her Instagram (which now has 240,000 followers), Milly hopes to encourage others to pick up a sport or give challenges a try – even when you don’t think you can do it.
“To get anywhere in life, all you need to do is believe in yourself and take action,” says Milly. “And if you don't believe in yourself currently, take action, and then you'll start to believe in yourself. Life's too short to tell yourself that you can't do things.”
Watch or stream the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on Channel 4 from Wednesday 28 August to Sunday 8 September.
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