I had my leg amputated after I was run over by a bus aged 22 – now I’m a profitable catwalk mannequin with a contract to advertise footwear
Georgia Stannard’s life irrevocably changed on an Autumn afternoon in 2019 when she wandered out in front of a London bus whilst consulting her Google Maps app.
Seeing a red flash out of the corner of her eye, the then 22-year-old was met with a wave of adrenaline and shock as the bus ran over her right foot.
On the way to meet a friend for lunch in nearby Clapham Junction, Georgia had inadvertently taken a step out into the bus lane.
Thankfully though, the art history student had not strayed further into the road as she was otherwise unharmed.
Not feeling any pain initially, it wasn’t until the fire brigade arrived on the scene and attempted to clean the wound that she began to panic.
In the back of a speeding ambulance, Georgia recalled asking paramedics if she was going to die and immediately accepting the fact she would require an amputation.
That first surgery saw doctors remove her right foot, but just a number of days later she found herself back in the operating theatre in order to have another amputation from ten centimetres below her knee.
Now, rather remarkably, five years on from the accident, Georgia has used her disability as inspiration to become a successful catwalk model and has shot for some of the world’s biggest brands.
Georgia underwent her rehabilitation at a hospital in south London
Georgia saw her leg amputated up to ten centimetres below her right knee
Remembering back to the days after those surgeries, Georgia recounted the overwhelmingly gratitude she felt rather than a sense of pity.
Speaking to the Times Magazine she said: ‘I felt so lucky that it was my leg and not my life. If I’d stepped out a second later, I could easily have died or had a permanent head injury… I remember having this distinct voice in my head saying, ‘This is going to be the making of you, and this is your purpose. It doesn’t have to be clear yet, but just trust that something really big and good is going to come from this.’ And that’s never left me’.
Using this voice as motivation, Georgia began her recovery at a rehabilitation centre in Kennington, South London, where she was confronted with the reality of the challenge which lay ahead.
Being the only patient under 50 on her unit, she spent a month learning how to walk again on her new prosthetic limb and battled on with the mindset that she still had so many years ahead of herself.
For those first couple of years following her amputation, Georgia was largely confined to a wheelchair due to the swelling around her prosthetic.
With her leg changing shape so much, she went through 11 prosthetic legs in just a nine month period.
Georgia recalls these moments as the toughest of her recovery, being forced to crawl up stairs due to the pain around her amputation.
This period also coincided with the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdowns, which saw her move out of her student accommodation and into a nearby rental with her mum after she suffered what she referred to as a mental breakdown.
Georgia had to learn how to walk again with her new prosthetic following the loss of her right leg
Georgia was the only person under 50 on her rehab unit, but was inspired to push on and make a full recovery
Her amputation was not the only adversity which Georgia had to overcome throughout her life though, having lost her father to the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami in Thailand.
The body of her father, Major Simon Stannard, was never recovered, with this Christmas set to be the 20th anniversary of the tragic event.
Georgia believes though that having gone through such a harrowing experience at young age, she was able to glean the resiliency which helped steer her along her amputation journey all these years later.
That’s not to say the 27-year-old has not endured her fair share of setbacks, and after one particularly dark night of ruminations, she sought out the help of a therapist to help treat her PTSD.
After three months of treatment and using the lockdowns to her advantage by learning to live with her new limb as the rest of the world ground to a halt, Georgia felt a sense of normalcy return and the anxiety subside.
Despite her incredible recovery both physically and mentally though, some everyday tasks remain a challenge.
For example, traversing a busy city like London on public transport can prove exhausting, especially on the tube lines where Georgia struggles to ask for a seat due to the fact she can appear able-bodied in trousers.
Other worries like dating also reared their head in Georgia’s mind, however that hurdle was firmly overcome too when she met her boyfriend George at a Halloween party in 2023.
Georgia is now the face of Schuh’s ‘single shoe’ campaign which sees those with disabilities able to purchase one shoe at a 50 per cent discount from the cost of a pair
Georgia has said that she struggles with everyday activities like the tube as people can often see her as an able-bodied person
Georgia’s work life has also gone from strength to strength over the last three years after she was recruited via Instagram by inclusive model agency Zebedee.
Following some initial trepidation and consulting with her mother, Georgia decided to take the leap into the modelling world.
Her willingness to venture out of her comfort zone was instantly rewarded with her first shoot being for Adidas in New York’s Time Square.
Feeling shell-shocked on that first modelling job, Georgia has gone on to prove she is a natural in the industry and has worked with the likes Marks and Spencer and Youswim.
The 27-year-old now finds herself as the face of Schuh’s single-shoe campaign, which has been developed to allow customers who only require one shoe due to a limb difference or disability to purchase just one shoe at a 50 per cent discount off the pair price.
She has also walked recent iterations of both the London and Copenhagen fashion weeks too.
Despite all this career success though, Georgia remains somewhat conflicted over not wanting to be defined by her disability but at the same time wanting advocate and raise awareness for others.
While she is willing to do campaigns for which she’s told, ‘We need to make sure the leg’s on show. Can you wear a short skirt?’ , Georgia says that some of her favourite campaigns, ‘have been ones where I’m wearing trousers. Where they’ve hired me for me, not my leg’.
Georgia’s modelling career has gone from strength to strength, with the 27-year-old working for the likes of Adidas and Marks and Spencer
Georgia wants to remain an advocate and voice for other amputees whilst at the same time not letting it define her
This passing September marked just five years since Georgia’s accident, but she finds it hard to imagine her life before it.
Referring to herself as a completely different person to the girl she sees in old photos, Georgia says that she has been taught so much by her amputation experience.
Quick to thank her support network of friends and family too, she feels she has come to know herself in a way she never expected.
Clearly adept at confronting life’s challenges head on, whether that be her accident, or her newfound career, Georgia does feel that she could be better at sharing or offloading things which trouble her.
Reflecting on this notion though, the courageous model shared: ‘But independence is so important to me. I have this feeling like I’ve got to be able to look after myself; I’ve got to be able to do this for myself’.
