I am the Commissioning Editor for Sport at Channel 4. I used to play football, rugby, run marathons, triathlons, etc. Then aged 34, all that stopped.

Life became about managing chronic pain and everything that comes with (in my case) a spinal disorder. Eighty per cent of all disabilities are acquired between the ages of 18 and 64.

It took me a long time to be comfortable enough to think of myself as disabled, let alone talk about it.

I have been lucky to work on two Paralympic Games. Working on the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics I had an epiphany. 

Whilst watching Britain in the wheelchair basketball, I realised that my condition meant I could be classified - I could play Para sport. Paris 2024 here we come!

I’m no elite sportsman, but I was excited by the prospect of being able to play a competitive team sport again and get a sweat on. 

Wheelchair basketball didn’t work out for a variety of reasons (reason #1: I’m rubbish at basketball), but the experience helped me venture deeper into the world of disability sport.

I no longer felt awkward about being an ambulatory person hopping into a wheelchair when it suited me. 

Having been executive producer of the inaugural World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge for ITV in 2015, I’ve had a soft spot for the sport for a long time. 

As it is designed specifically for tetraplegic athletes, I knew wheelchair rugby was off-limits as far as playing goes. 

That was until a chance encounter with Jason Brisbane, chief executive of GB Wheelchair Rugby - he told me about wheelchair rugby 5s, a new variation of the sport open to pretty much anyone with a physical impairment and designed to maximise participation. Bingo.

I went down to my fantastic local club - the West Country Hawks and now I am hooked. I think about it all the time and can’t wait for our Monday night training sessions at the Plymouth Life Centre to roll round again.   

The Hawks also run a weekly training session in Exeter - or at least they did until recently. That’s been paused until the club can get the necessary financial support. 

The club need to find in the region of £10,000 ($12,380/€11,490) a year to survive. It’s a massive shame. There are several highly promising Hawks players who are part of the GB set-up including the captain of the GB women’s team, Plymstock’s Faye West. 

To keep performing at the highest level, they need your help. So, if there are any local businesses out there who want to get behind the Hawks, then please get in touch.

My personal and professional worlds collided at the recent European Championships, which was held in Cardiff and shown on Channel 4. It was a brilliant event and I felt a part of the wheelchair rugby community and the wider disability community.  

As my condition has progressed it’s become harder to hide. And I’ve become less interested in hiding it. I’ve started discussing my disability more openly with family, friends and colleagues, but I’ve never spoken publicly about it.

It is now something I embrace. And it has given me a new focus and sense of purpose.

I’m working hard to help address the lack of disabled talent progressing into senior positions in the television industry. I’m immensely proud of what Channel 4 continues to do for the Paralympic movement and around disability inclusion and I’m also involved with Variety’s inaugural Inclusive Sports Awards - the first event specifically designed to recognise the outstanding achievements of athletes with disabilities across a range of sports.

My advice to anyone struggling with a hidden disability - when you’re ready - lean into it, accept it… own it. You won’t regret it. Oh, and give wheelchair rugby a go - it’s a blast.