Interview with Milly Pickles ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on Channel 4

27 August 2024

How excited are you to be involved with the Channel 4’s coverage of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games?  
I feel unbelievably excited, grateful and privileged. Never in a million years did I think I would have an opportunity like this. It’s interesting because, for years, I manifested being involved in Paris 2024. This started because at the time, I was training to be a 100m sprinter and my dream was to race at the Paralympics. Every single day I would say to myself aloud “I will be in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games”. With time, social media really picked up and I found it harder to train.
I then decided to go down that route and not continue with the sport which I found a sad and tough decision. To now be involved in the coverage of the Paralympics is my dream coming true but in the way I never expected. I am so grateful and cannot wait to have the best couple weeks of my life! It’ll be incredible, definitely scary at first, but I cannot wait to chuck myself into it, have fun and have the best couple weeks of my life!

This is your first TV presenting job. How does that feel? 
Starting my TV presenting career feels incredible as I know how difficult it is to get into this space. The fact it’s for the Paralympics feels unimaginable. Out of this world. Surprisingly, I don’t feel nervous yet. I approach life logically, so I will prepare as much as I can which will help build my confidence - fail to prepare, prepare to fail. I also talk to both a camera and people day-to-day, so this feels comfortable. I love learning about people and as my role is to shine light on the athletes, my focus is to have fun and ask the right questions.  

What are your memories of watching the Paralympics growing up? 
At age 15, I went to London 2012 with my school, and I absolutely loved it! If someone told me that 12 years later, I’d be presenting at the Paralympics, I would have never believed them. It’s crazy how life unfolds! I also remember I was in hospital once, watching the Paralympics and I couldn’t take my eyes off the TV. I found it crazy that the Olympics had much more popularity because I found the para-athletes so inspirational.  

Once I found out I was losing my leg too, I watched an unbelievable number of Paralympic moments on YouTube. I clearly remember watching Jonnie Peacock in 100m and Richard Whitehead in 200m. A friend of mine somehow managed to get Jonnie to send me a video with advice. One thing he said that really stuck with me was “it might seem really awful what you’re going through right now, but it will soon be a distant memory”. Now I’m seven years in, I couldn’t agree more. 

What do the Paralympics mean to you?   
The Paralympics is about hope. When I found out I was losing my leg, I remember the surgeons coming into the room and weighing up the pros and cons of keeping it and I interrupted and said, “I’m really sorry to interrupt, I just know it needs to go”. Once they left the room,
I had a few tears, I turned to my parents and said, “at least I can be in the Paralympics now”. I was quickly trying to think of something that I could do now that I couldn’t do before. To this day, I still cannot believe they were my first words. If it wasn’t for the Paralympics, who knows how I would have coped? At the time, the Paralympics was the only awareness I had when it came to disabled people as it really was the first movement which paved the way for disabled people. I will forever be grateful to the Paralympics for a) creating a space for disabled people in society and b) celebrating us.

And what role does sport have in your life now? 
I’ve always been massively into sport and since my life changing injury, I still am. I do find sport and certain movements much harder, but I count my lucky blessings that
I can still move my body. I will always give everything a go and do my best to always adapt. For example, I absolutely loved getting a running blade and re-learning how to run. I feel lucky that I got to experience running with two human legs and now as a blade runner. Not many people in this life get to experience that. I still love challenging myself with physical sports because I love learning about what my new body is capable of, it helps my mental health and I learn more about myself. Becoming the first amputee to complete the world’s toughest / steepest 400m race was epic!  

Do you have a favourite Paralympic event?  
Athletics are my favourite. However, I am excited to learn more about other Paralympic sports which I don’t know too much about! I reckon ask me again after Paris as it’ll be interesting to see if my answer is still the same!  

What are you most looking forward to about Paris 2024? 
I am so excited for all of it. As Tokyo didn’t have a crowd, I can imagine the atmosphere and energy at Paris will be unmatched. TikTok has also brought more awareness to the disabled community so I can imagine a lot more people will watch the Paralympics than ever before, which is exciting! I also feel like I am getting the best tour of Paris in the most unique way. Who else gets to report on Paralympic sports such as blind football whilst being right next to the Eiffel Tower or go to Versailles to report on Equestrian?!  

We can’t forget you’re going to be in Paris! Have you been before? What’s your favourite thing to do?   
I’ve been to Paris twice and both times, I’ve had a jam-packed trip! Paris has a lot of culture so I made sure to see as much as I could. I also am a big foodie, so a lot of croissants and baguettes were eaten.  

How is your French? Please can you give us your best phrase?  
It’s funny because my best friend is French, I was in the top set for French and Spanish at school but for some reason, I cannot remember any French and my Spanish is really good. I will definitely be getting some lessons from my friend before I go to Paris, so what I will say for now is, Bonjour! Je m’appelle Milly Pickles!