‘I felt fat and ugly as a kid – but lost my leg and now model for Vogue at 56’

A woman who lost her leg in a freak trampolining accident has gone on to model for Vogue.

Nancy Harris, 56, from Bedfordshire, ended up losing her leg in the scary sporting ordeal and, before that, became hard-of-hearing from a skiing accident.

For years before and after the accidents, the counsellor and model struggled with her body confidence.

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Then when she had to pack in her job as a PE and dance teacher at 30, Nancy felt completely lost.

It wasn’t until her 50th that she discovered a newfound confidence that has transformed her life completely – and she’s only just getting started.

Speaking exclusively with Daily Star, the mum-of-two revealed how she’s embraced her disability.

“I felt fat and ugly as a child and never smiled with my teeth,” Nancy candidly shared.

“I was always behind the camera taking shots as an adult and mother, never feeling worthy enough of being the subject.

“It took me years [to adjust to my disability] as I had no preparation and no role models to follow.

“Physically everything became slower and I learned to do things in my own way. Mentally, I struggled from the start, I would hide my leg in baggy clothing.

“I remember saying I didn’t know how to be disabled.

“It felt like a whole new world that I had no experience of.

“There were barriers everywhere from access to buildings, theatres, sporting events, and travel but also to employment opportunities.

“The reality of living with an above-knee amputation didn’t sink in until I did return to work and very quickly realised my limitations.”

Nancy had to overcome daily barriers, both physically and mentally.

She even had to battle hate discrimination while finding a new place in the world for herself – as she suddenly became very ‘limited’.

Although there are currently 16 million disabled people in the UK, according to Scope, Nancy believes that there’s still not enough representation of this group within the media and advertising.

And with her confidence transformation, she’s hoping to change that.

Nancy has modelled for massive brands including Vogue, Harrods and Samsung – and celebrates her disability in photoshoots.

“My daughter persuaded me to apply to be a model to spread awareness about the lack of disabled representation, as by the age of 50 I had accepted my differences and felt as important as anyone else,” Nancy shared.

“Now I share this newfound confidence with audiences of top brand companies and I smile broadly and feel fantastic.”

“The industry needs balance because there are 16 million disabled people in the UK and this group is staggeringly under-represented in the advertising and media industry.

“Years of personal therapy and retraining to become a counsellor gave me the courage not to worry about what others thought of me and to start living the life I wanted.”

Nancy found fashion and walking aid company Cool Crutches has helped her on journey of acceptance.

Proving there’s no shame in being disabled, she now enjoys showing her patterned sticks off in colourful clothing.

With her bright and glittery wardrobe, Nancy is attracting more attention than ever before and hopes she can normalise being disabled in the process.

“They [Cool Crutches] give me the confidence to walk upright and look ahead, rather than constantly looking at the ground to check where I’ve placed them,” Nancy expressed.

“And they don’t make creaking noises. I can match them to my outfits and make them part of my style, reflecting my personality rather than looking like a medical appendage.

“I used to wear a cover to make the post look like a real leg but years ago I removed it and show the metal post now.

“My style communicates the message that I’m comfortable with who I am as a 56-year-old amputee.

“My bright colours draw in people’s gaze and the more the public sees people like me, dressing proudly with a prosthetic leg in full view, the more normal my disability will become and accepted.”

Along with advocating for women with disabilities, Nancy often documents all the exciting things she gets up to over on her Instagram page. You can follow her here.

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