'It was my sister's birthday and we had agreed to meet at King's Cross station before we headed out for the night. As I looked around for her, I spotted a familiar face and did a double take. But it wasn't my sister. It was someone who looked exactly like me. Then the penny dropped. It was me!
My face was on six metre-long billboard posters advertising Madame Tussauds splashed all over the London Underground - including King's Cross.
"That's absolutely huge!" I gasped.
It was surreal to look up and see my face smiling back at me and I couldn't help but laugh. I felt so many emotions, but above all, I felt a sense of pride and delight.
A few weeks earlier I had taken part in a publicity campaign for Madam Tussauds. It wasn't my first big modelling job - I've been on the TV and radio, and in the newspapers, multiple times.
But each modelling job has been a real "pinch me" moment. I love doing modelling shoots: I love having my make-up and hair done, getting to wear clothes that have been especially picked for me, and posing for the camera.
It's more than that, though.
I never thought I'd be able to model because of narrow perceptions of what a model "should" look like. I was born with cerebral palsy, a neurological condition that impairs a person's ability to control their movement and posture. Due to increased stiffness in my body, and a lack of coordination and balance, I use walking aids and a wheelchair to help me move around.
So I was delighted to sign with the inclusive modelling agency Zebedee Talent in 2020 and be offered paid modelling jobs.
FACING CHALLENGES
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 04, 2023 من New UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 04, 2023 من New UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
A TASTE OF KOREA
Quick and easy meals to bring a touch of Asia to your table
"Womb Raider' killed pregnant teen and sliced out her baby
A mother and daughter teamed up to murder
'Bodybuilding changed my life at 50'
Wife and mother Nicola Shaw had lost her identity and self-esteem until she took up weight training and started entering competitions
'My dad's even more excited than me!
Soap star Bobby Brazier is being put through his paces by his ex-footballer father as he prepares for Soccer Aid
"I want us to embrace our individuality'
Love Islander Liberty Poole celebrates her newfound confidence as she calls for urgent action on body shaming
'I'm so beside myself that I got picked
Singer and actress Alexandra Burke on her TV acting debut, family life and keeping her mum's memory alive
'I was single for nine years-I'm fussy!
Sinitta opens up about juggling romance with motherhood and shares her views on Celebrity Big Brother’s last explosive series
Dan'kept on his toes' by Jac's male admirers
Dan Osborne appears to have been put out by online attention from fans prompted by wife Jacqueline Jossa's swimwear selfies, a source tells new
It was a very sad, hard and testing time'
Made In Chelsea's Ruby Adler on raising awareness about ovarian cancer following her aunt's death from the disease
Stacey sorts out a getaway with her girlfriends
As Stacey Solomon's career continues to go from strength to strength, sources say the busy mum-of-five is desperate for a blow-out break with her pals this summer