Milly Pickles exclusively shares details of an electrical accident that led to a leg amputation

It would be hard to find anyone more optimistic than Milly Pickles. The 27-year-old para-athlete, social media star and fitness and disability activist, who suffered life-threatening injuries and lost a leg in an accident seven years ago, is a beacon of positivity.

Whether she's running in the London Marathon in April or reporting from Paris on this year's Paralympics, with no previous experience as a presenter, she won't let anything stop her.

“My accident made me so grateful for life,” she says HELLO! “It's better to have no legs than to be dead, so I thank my lucky stars. I have learned the value of life and I want to enjoy it to the fullest and help people, because life is too short.”

Introduction of the Paralympics

Her natural talent in front of the camera and passion for the sport made her an ideal candidate for Channel 4's presenting team. She is currently reporting live from the 12-day event from the French capital – “Luckily I don't swear that much,” she jokes – and seems unfazed by the responsibility.

“It's nerve-wracking, but then I think, 'You're only talking to one human being. It's about not being afraid of the camera, and if you're having fun, the people at home will have fun too.'”

Milly's remarkable journey began in September 2017, when she was 20 years old and studying Marketing at Bournemouth University. She had just secured a place at Chelsea Football Club and was, as she says, “the happiest I've ever been”.

Her terrible accident

In a moment Milly has erased from her memory, she was electrocuted. The accident still raises many questions as she struggles to remember what happened – “my brain doesn't remember”. All she knows is that a current ran from her right heel up her leg, across her pelvis and down her left leg to her foot.

“I have no idea why I didn't realize this. I have to go on with my life not knowing why this happened to me; it was never found out. But I've accepted it and am at peace with it, because if I didn't, I would be living in misery.”

She was in hospital for two and a half months and underwent 25 operations during this time, including having her right leg amputated.

Body positivity

She is passionate about body positivity – “It’s so important for people to see someone who looks like them, no matter what you look like” – and wants to raise awareness about disabilities.

“I knew I was saved for a reason, but I didn't know what it was. So when I first posted on Instagram, I was like, 'I need to state the obvious. This is what happened. This is what I know. And this is who I am now.'

“It's important for people to understand what it's like to live as an amputee and it's good for other amputees to connect. I've been able to build that community.”

To read the full exclusive interview, pick up the latest issue of HELLO!, on sale in the UK on Monday. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered to your home for free every week, or buy the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.