SOPHIE DELEZIO: ‘I INSTANTLY FELL IN LOVE'

Sophie Delezio and Molly Wood, also 2, were trapped under the burning vehicle until firefighters were able to free the tiny pair, who were then rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

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She was only 2 years old when she suffered third-degree burns to 85 per cent of her body after a car ploughed into her daycare centre in 2003 and burst into flames.

Sophie Delezio and Molly Wood, also 2, were trapped under the burning vehicle until firefighters were able to free the tiny pair, who were then rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Sophie’s injuries were so severe she lost her right ear, some fingers and both feet.

But despite beating the odds, tragedy struck the Delezio family again three years later when Sophie was hit by a car on a pedestrian crossing. She was thrown almost 20 metres and suffered a heart attack.

Now, 16 years on from the first trauma , Sophie is not only thriving, but she’s living the life she always dreamed of.

“Oh my God, it’s been so much fun,” Sophie says excitedly from London where she is currently attending university.

“I’m loving it. It’s been so amazing, so wonderful.”

Sophie moved to the UK this year after being accepted into the University of London to study sociology and international relations.

And while the thought of starting a new life in a new country is daunting for some, Sophie is embracing the opportunity. “I always knew that I wanted to go to university overseas,” she says.