By becoming the first plus size di$@bled model in the UK, 25 year old from Newcastle wants to make history
At the age of 15 Katie was diagnosed with crippling conditions disc degenerative disease and spinal stenosis. The 25 year old calls them ‘the granny diseases’ because they result in loss of mobility, pain and paralysis. Katie was once again leading an active life after surgery and a few months of rehabilitation. She was able to enjoy badminton, horse riding and ballet. But the recovery only lived for a short period. And 4 years later she under went major $urg*ery as the pain got wo*rse.
She said, ‘I felt a pain on the back of my right leg and it just felt like I was getting dead leg. I went to the GP and initially they thought it was just sciatica – which was still surprising for someone my age to get, but then everything just spiraled. I woke up and it was the sc@rie$t thing ever. I thought: I cannot feel my lower half.’
Before Katie was able to take her first steps again, it took her over a year of intense physiotherapy. Her right leg remained largely immobile even though she gained back most feeling in her left leg. It took her more than a year to learn how to walk again. Models of Diversity is a charity and they approached Katie during her rehabilitation because they wanted to promote a more diverse representation of beauty in the fashion industry.
She said, ‘It’s been my dream since I was a little girl to be a solicitor but at the same time when I got ill and the modelling opportunity came up it gave me confidence and gave my life back. We’ve got a few disabled models but they are not plus size. We don’t even have any household plus size models over here – we call Kelly Brook plus size – I just call her curvy! People have got it ingrained in their minds that beauty looks like one thing and disability isn’t included in that by the fashion industry or media.’
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