Well, since my last blog on swimming classification things have moved fast!! I entered the Staffordshire County Swimming Championships and won Gold in the 100m back, 100m free, 50m back and 50m free, all with new personal bests!

I was then invited onto Sam Fletcher’s wonderful BBC Sport Radio Show where we discussed how much fun I was having in this new world of swimming:

…and something must have sparked the interest of BBC TV because the next thing I knew I was being filmed for a news segment! If I’m honest it wasn’t really about my swimming prowess (I’m still just a novice) but more about how I’m moving from the very top of one sport – Golden Boot Winner at the Women’s Amputee Football World Cup – to the bottom of another – para swimming.

I then made my way to my first big para swim event at the Welsh National Pool in Swansea… and what an eye opener that was! I actually found myself in the fastest heat for the 50m Free alongside the current World Record Holder Callie-Ann Warrington S10, and other Paralympic medalists – all of them had the proper speed swimsuits and racing hats and I was just there in my swimming cossie from Amazon! But I think I did okay? I didn’t get a PB but I was the 4th fastest S9 swimmer which isn’t bad given the fact I’ve only been classified for 4 months!

However, what I am quickly learning is that you don’t get to race against people in your classification, until you compete internationally! I assumed I’d go to these para meets and swim in a race with all of the other S9 swimmers and have the challenge of moving from 4th best S9 swimmer into a medal position… but it doesn’t work like that at all!

You race against people with a similar time to you, so you could be in a race with an S10, an S7, an S14 e.t.c and your time is then converted into para points. The closer you are the to World Record in your classification the more para points you get. So I could lose the race but win the medal… stay with me!

Here’s an example: If I swam closer to the S9 World Record than the faster S10 swimmer who beat me in our race, but wasn’t as close to the S10 World Record… I would get more para points – confusing I know!! But it essentially means I am not in competition with the other S9 swimmers, I am in competition with ALL the other para swimmers regardless of their classification! I assumed Swim GB would take the best swimmers from each classification S1-S14 to international competitions, but they don’t, they rightly take the ones who are closest to the World Record, the ones who have the most para points.

So if I did want to take my swimming journey further, then SERIOUS work needs to be done. But I’m currently just enjoying the fun of the adventure and as I explained to the inspirational Xavier Wiggins: I’m learning it’s okay to be happy where you are in sport, it’s okay not to be the best and not to want to be the best, to just enjoy the journey.

I’m learning it’s okay to be happy where you are in sport, it’s okay not to be the best and not to want to be the best, to just enjoy the journey.

Have I got what it takes to get to the top in swimming, maybe? But have I got the time at the moment, absolutely not! I have such huge respect for all of these para swimmers and it’s been so wonderful dipping my toe into their world, but they’re there because of the hours they put in, because it’s their lifelong dream, because they’re dedicated and committed and focused… whereas I’m still figuring out who I am and in what direction I want to take my life – there’s just so much fun to be had and so many opportunities keep coming my way! I’m obviously still going to sign up to all the competitions and keep trying to improve my PB, but training more than 3 times a week just isn’t possible at the moment.

I do, however, love the fact my story is inspiring others to just live life and say yes to adventure. I was actually eating breakfast in a gorgeous Hilton Hotel the morning of my first day on set as an actor (I’ve had to sign an NDA so no spoilers here) when BBC Breakfast ran the piece nationally and I just smiled and thought: what a crazy life I live!

… and an update from 4th May 2026: I AM NOW THE REGIONAL CHAMPION!!! I won Gold and got a new personal best in the 50m free!

The PERFECT ski resort

Well, it’s taken 4 years, and 4 ski blogs: Snowdome, Bulgaria, Les Deux Alpes, and Alpe d’Huez, but I’ve done it! I’ve finally found the PERFECT ski resort for anyone who loses their leg and needs to re-learn to ski! I’ve also found the perfect ski resort for anyone who just loves long, wide, greens and blues, everyone who loves luxury, and anyone who wants an actual taste of heaven! Les Arcs 2000 is EVERYTHING!!

I’m going to start with the hotel. Book this once and you will never book anywhere else ever again! Literally, it is that phenomenal! The Taj-I Mah is the most spectacular ski hotel I have ever stayed in.

The Taj-I Mah is the most spectacular ski hotel I have ever stayed in.

Genuine ski-in, ski-out, a ski hire shop inside the hotel that have your skis ready outside for you each morning, stunning rooms, a gorgeous spa, an alpine bar with open fires, a delicious restaurant, shops and restaurants right outside, a free gondola down to 1950 that stays open late, and the friendliest of owners with the biggest of smiles on their faces.

Here are a few clips that I’ve put together so you can get a feel for the hotel:

And the lady behind the magic who had us checked in early and was on hand for any help we needed was the fabulous Karine Gasparyan, a true credit to the Les Etincelles brand:

Now, onto the skiing… IT IS PERFECT!! I can’t stress this enough… IT IS PERFECT!! The Paradiski area is massive (and this is just half of it):

…and if you spot Arc 2000 on the left where I was staying, and then look at Vallandry 1600 on the right of the map, you’ll be able to see just how far I could get with one leg! No longer am I simply trying to find a couple of runs that work for me, I’m back skiing exactly as I was before, and that’s due to the incredible network of wide, gentle blues that connect the whole area. It felt magical and I felt truly free:

There were so many activities that I was looking forward to doing in Les Arcs – the two luge runs at Arc 2000 and Arc 1800, the massive zip wire, the crystal caves, but I just didn’t have time as I was too busy skiing. I really felt ‘back.’ My family and I were able to ski as we used to – plan the route at breakfast and stay out all day… and I even managed a couple of red sections!

I think this might be my last ski blog as I know I’ll be coming back here for many years. But I’ve done it. I’ve found somewhere I can ski like I used to, where having a prosthetic leg makes no difference to me or my family whatsoever. No words will ever be able to describe what that feels like.

I feel truly blessed to have been taught to ski at 3, a bit annoyed that I lost my leg at 13, but I guess it’s all worked out in the end, and I’ll always, always, always be grateful for the positives in my life… and finding Les Arc 2000 and the Taj-I Mah is one of them!

For Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza

I debated where to put this blog on my website and decided it was more modelling (role modelling) than travelling or sports – it’s not a perfect fit, but I wanted to chart this really cool part of my life.

Back in Nov 2024 Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner for England, happened to be watching BBC Breakfast when a segment on me winning the Golden Boot at the World Cup in Colombia was played:

She said she saw me talking with such passion and such hope that she just had to meet me! So I was invited to the Department for Education in Dec 2024 and we met for the first time:

I must have made a good impression, despite being caught in a massive rain storm moments before I entered the building, because she invited me to apply to be one of her Youth Ambassadors… and by Jan 2025 I was in position!

The job so far has been incredible and I’ve felt so privileged on so many different occasions… and I do actually feel like I’ve managed to make a difference to children’s lives already. Whether that be through talking on a panel with Andy Burnham and Baroness Cass, ensuring – through my own personal testimony – that all schools support the needs of all students:

Or hosting a podcast with Ali Oliver from Youth Sport Trust about the importance of inclusion in sport:

Or talking to Josh Pelled the CEO of Bright Futures UK what children need to stay connected to their education when they’re away from school due to long-term illness:

But I think my favourite moment so far has been hosting a podcast with Lord Nash about the proposed social media ban for Under 16’s. If you’re going to give one of the podcasts a listen I’d definitely make it this one as it’s such an important area for everyone to get right:

I think this podcast really highlighted why it’s so important to include children in discussions about their future… and that’s what being a Youth Ambassador to the Children’s Commissioner enables… our voices are heard at the very top level of decision making.

That’s what being a Youth Ambassador to the Children’s Commissioner enables… our voices are heard at the very top level of decision making.

On a superficial level I’ve loved whizzing around London to meetings on my Lime scooter and the commute has thankfully always been easy:

Another element I enjoyed was recording video content about the various research reports that were being published. The idea was so visual learners didn’t have to sift through lots of paperwork to find out what was going on… but for some reason the videos were never used, so I’ll put one below simply because it took me ages to learn the lines and get right in one take! Great practice for my acting career though so no harm done! This video was due to run alongside the research report that made clear the urgent need to protect children from the harms of online pornography:

I’ve taken part in ministerial round tables with people like Minister Gould, discussing how schools can work better for children with additional needs, I’ve been involved in SEND panels, Big Conversation conversations, discussions about the assisted dying bill… there’s simply too much to list here – but how wonderful that it’s been so busy and so full on – exactly how I like to live my life!

Thank you to Dame Rachel de Souza for including me in her wonderful Youth Ambassadors Programme. It’s a real honour.

Finally classified!

I am thrilled to announce I have finally been classified in para swimming. From my first para training camp on 7th Jan 2024 I’ve filled in forms, shown I can swim (on numerous camps), gone to land training and medicals and competed in a para gala where I was finally classified as an S9 swimmer. Now, I could have told you back on Jan 7th 2024, that I’d very likely be an S9 swimmer as most above-knee-amputees tend to be S9 swimmers, and I was pretty confident that my leg wasn’t going to grow back… but I followed the process anyway and here I am.

If I’m honest I think one of my forms must have got lost on someone’s desk back in early 2024 as the actual classification day (once I finally managed to get it booked in) was so quick and easy. I had my little leg measured to see what percent was missing, I was then watched in the pool for about 20 minutes and that was it… S9.

I’ve also been categorised as S8 in breaststroke but I can’t stand the breaststroke and very much doubt I’ll race it competitively… it’s impossible to do the frog leg kick with only one leg! But following my observation in the pool I took part in my first para gala that afternoon:

Since then I have competed in two mainstream galas with my swimming club and won 4 more Gold medals! (Still nothing for the breaststroke!)

I’m really enjoying the training and competing… but oh my goodness it’s a whole new world!!!! Who knew you could only wear FINA approved swimsuits? Who knew Crocs were such a fashion statement poolside (literally everyone has them and the coolest swimmers have the most Croc charms!) Who knew you needed camp chairs and dryrobes, and what’s with all the slapping of the skin and banging on the dive boards??? I do feel very out-of-my-depth (wink) and it’s all so different from the football pitch, but I seem to be doing okay and rising up the para S9 swim rankings.

Will I be at the 2028 LA Olympics? I very much doubt it… but Brisbane 2032, you betcha!

2025 modelling job highlights

Where is the time going? As we end another year I thought I’d blog about a couple of my favourite modelling jobs from 2025. Obviously my very first London Fashion Week walking the runway for Hengi Wang was a massive highlight, as was Birmingham Fashion Week and all of those stairs… but I never imagined I’d end up in Vogue Italia, but that’s where I found myself at the end of 2025!

I was lucky enough to be selected by Zebedee Talent (my agency) for an editorial shoot they hoped would confront the recent Sydney Sweeney ‘great jeans’ controversy. The original advert had the tagline: “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” (meaning both denim and genetics). The visuals were Sydney, known for her “American” look (blonde hair, blue eyes), modelling the jeans. Some people suggested that there was a double meaning, that the ad used her appearance to imply her “genes” (beauty) are as good as her jeans, while also suggesting the jeans are great.

Now, if I’m totally honest I think she looks incredible and I think it was potentially just a pun that wasn’t properly thought through… but I was honoured that I could be part of the response with my tagline: “When are brands going to realise that perfection is overrated? Resilience is the real flex. Great jeans aren’t about your DNA, they’re about owning your story. I have one leg and I can still make denim my runway.”

True diversity in fashion definitely doesn’t exist yet and we have such a long way to go, but I feel so proud to be part of an agency and team of wonderful models who are pushing for change, and what a sensational photographer we had: Sam Binstead.

Another highlight this year was working with Steve Madden. I was invited to his London Loft Party where I had SO MUCH FUN! He’d sent me a pair of boots before the evening that I wore on the night…

…and I received another pair of shoes on the evening that I had tattooed with a personal logo. I am now also appearing in a lot of his online Christmas commercials from footage that was filmed throughout the party. Here’s a link to my BTS fun:

It really was a wild experience!

I am so excited to see what 2026 brings! Bring on the adventure!

It’s not great… but I loved it!

I hate to write this, but Japan isn’t accessible. I’m a really active amputee, but even I struggled. I’ll start with the negatives:

• There are no benches anywhere. Like literally anywhere.
• The subway is so rammed you always have to stand and no one gives up their seat.
• I didn’t see a single wheelchair or pushchair during my whole trip – that says all you need to know about accessibility in Japan.

I found myself Googling the reasons for this phenomena. It turns out that there is a cultural expectation to ‘move purposefully’ through public spaces, rather than ‘hang around’… the trouble is, nearly every other outlet on every street is a food outlet, so you find yourself buying food with nowhere to sit and eat, and eating whilst walking is a definite no-no in Japan. You’re sort of allowed to stand outside the 7-Eleven’s and eat, but you’ll still get disapproving looks and it all feels rather awkward.

There are no lovely coffee shops / eateries with street seating outside (due to a lack of space) and the seats inside are always full. I had to Google the question: “Do the Japanese eat out everyday,” because everywhere was always so rammed, but it turns out they don’t, it just looks that way because there are so many people in Japan… and to be honest that should have been obvious as Tokyo is the most populated city in the world with over 37 million people… and most of them can be found on the subway!

…and the tip I had before travelling was to book a hotel next to a subway station, which I did, but the subway stations are massive and you’ll find yourself walking underground for 15 minutes before you get to the platform.

So, the subways aren’t great, there are no benches to stop and take a rest, and there are no Lime Scooters or e-bikes like the ones you get in London and other major cities – absolute necessities for people like me who love to zip around easily. So basically you’re walking for long, long periods at a time… or you’re getting piggy backs!

The extent to which they don’t understand / cater for the needs of people with reduced mobility can be explained by my experiences with Yuki, my Japanese guide. I booked him via the Go With Guide website and very clearly explained that I had a prosthetic leg and could not walk for long periods. I’d booked a guided day in Kyoto and a day at Mount Fuji and both ended up having so much walking involved! “It’s just a short 1.5 hour walk around the bamboo forest” he’d say after we’d walked 1 hour to get to the bamboo forest!

The queue for the Hakone Ropeway that took us up the Owakudani volcano also highlights the lack of catering for mobility issues. It was a standing queue that snaked around the gondolas for 90 minutes. I asked Yuki to find out where the ‘accessible’ entrance or queue was, assuming there’d be one… after much argument with the person in charge, Yuki managed to get me a chair that I could sit on while my family joined the queue!

However, despite all of this, Japan is BRILLIANT! The volcano stank and my brother felt ill from eating the ‘black egg,’ but it is an absolute must!

The “black egg legend” in Japan refers to the belief that eating a kuro-tamago (black egg) from Owakudani can add seven years to your life.

So once we realised we’d need to get taxi’s everywhere, things definitely improved. Yes the Japanese subway is cheap and always on-time, but it’s simply not suitable for amputees, or anyone who likes to sit down or even breathe freely on their journeys!

The bullet train is different. This needs to be booked in advance and you’ll need a guide like Yuki to help you as the language barrier in Japan is significant. But I can’t recommend it enough. It whizzed us to Kyoto and we got the very best view of Mount Fuji.

Likewise the Romance Car to Hakone was spacious… but how you’d book it on your own I have no clue as visiting Hakone involves Hakone day passes, not just Romance Car passes. It is all very complicated so you’ll definitely need a local guide.

Spending money on taxis definitely made the trip a lot more expensive – they cost about the same as a London black cab – but it meant I could still see all of the sights I had planned, like the cat temple (Gotokuji Shrine) in the Setagaya ward and the world’s most famous crossing at Shubuya, the Meiji Shrine, the 2D cafe, and the Sensoji Temple at Kannon-Do.

There is so much history and culture in Japan which is wonderful – learning about the 1,001 Buddhas in the Sanjusangendo Temple, and partaking in all of the bowing and clapping and reading of fortunes – but I’d be lying if I didn’t say my favourite things were the Shibuya Crossing:

…and the amount of money I spent in Don Quijote!

Japan is just cool! That’s the best way to describe it, a really cool place with really cool things to see and do. This blog will end up being far too long if I list everything I did over there, but you can see it all on my Instagram page and take a look at my ‘Japan’ highlights reel to get a real flavour of my trip.

You’ll also be able to read more about it in the Jan 2026 issue of Hey Girl Magazine showcasing the most fire shots I had taken in Tokyo where I was modelling designer Xing’s techwear jacket.

So in summary it’s busy, it doesn’t cater for mobility issues, you won’t be able to sit down and take a rest, but it’s a place like no other and I loved every second of it!

Walking Birmingham Fashion Week 2025

Birmingham Fashion Week 2025 started with a bang! An incredible launch party at the really cool Old Library in Digbeth.

There were local artists displaying their work and I was beyond honoured to see myself up for sale! I’d done a shoot earlier in the year with Rahimat Onize Shaibu and she’d edited one of the shots into a really mesmerising piece:

I then had to get to work. I was there as a paid model, and my job was to stand on a plinth as a ‘live mannequin’ for 5 hours! Yes, that’s right! 5 hours! Stood still on a small box with a prosthetic leg… but the pay was great (and I was actually allowed to sit occasionally and go for refreshments.)

The main Birmingham Fashion Week runaway show came a few days later. This year the venue was Millennium Point … and anyone who knows Birmingham and knows Millennium Point knows there are tons and tons and tons of stairs.

So, to clarify, as an amputee model so far this 2025 fashion season, I’ve had to do the slowest of walks in the biggest of heels, I’ve had to stand on a plinth for 5 hours, so why not walk a runway with a ridiculous amount of stairs? I honestly felt like saying: “And now, for my next trick:”

But I did it, and I did it without falling or tripping (a couple of models almost slipped on the stairs, but they were wearing heels and that was just a step too far for me!) Anyway I was honoured to wear some fantastic designers – who didn’t mind my flat shoes for this ‘stairs-heavy’ runway!

Here’s a video where you’ll get an idea of just how long the runway was! And I walked it more than 10 times through the course of the show!

The event was a HUGE success and I can’t wait to see what Birmingham Fashion Week have up their sleeves for next year!

Here’s some BTS so you can get a real feel of how much fun these events truly are:

Hengdi Wang SS26 ‘Exogensis’

Having blogged all about Birmingham Fashion Week 2024 and 2025, I thought I’d write about how I took the ‘next-step’ and got booked for London Fashion Week! And what a show it was! Hengdi Wang’s SS26 demi-couture collection ‘Exogensis.’

It all started when I was on holiday this summer, camping in the South of France. I got a request through my agency Zebedee Talent to attend a casting in London for fashion week. Unfortunately I had to decline due to being away, but the designer asked if I’d film a self tape instead. The instructions were really clear. Watch the video of the previous season’s walk (below), put on heels of at least 10cm and walk in a similar style.

Now, I was on a surf holiday, camping in a cabin, no heels, no appropriate clothing, nowhere flat to film the self tape, but there was no way I was giving up this opportunity. So I put on my converse trainers, ripped shorts and crop top, and strutted up and down my decking as slowly and as cyberneticly as I could.

Unfortunately my Grandpa, who was on holiday with us, kept going past on his electric scooter, as did groups of beach goers with surfboards and parasols, and it was literally the worst self tape I think I’ve ever tried to film. But with my brother’s help, holding back the holiday makers on the road, I managed to get something in:

It was awful, but it was in. I knew I had zero hope of getting the job, so back to the beach I went. But then the impossible happened… my agency emailed: You got the job, you’re booked for London Fashion Week! I couldn’t believe it! London Fashion Week! THE LONDON FASHION WEEK 2025!

I then had a sudden panic, what if this year’s show used a similar style of slow music? Walking super slowly as an amputee is one of the hardest things to do because the microprocessor knee on my prosthetic leg is a computer and it figures out how to move once you get into a rhythm – it can tell if you’re walking up hill, down hill, fast or slow and it behaves appropriately giving more or less resistance for the task in hand… but when you’re walking super slowly it gets confused. My friend Rebecca and I laughed about it in a podcast last year:

So when I headed to London for a fitting, one of the first questions – after all of my thanks and excitement and appreciation about being selected – was: “Is the runway music fast or slow?” – “Super slow,” was the reply. I kept my cool, if the shoes were flat I’d be fine. Designer Hengdi Wang then brings out the shoes:

Well, I’m definitely someone who likes a challenge in life, and I think my past horror has proved I am pretty good at rising to a challenge… but this was going to be something else! I left the London fittings and headed straight home. I had a plan. I’d make my own shoes of a similar shape so I could practice. Now, it turns out I am no Hengdi Wang, in fact I’m not sure my design would pass health and safety… but it worked!!!!

Excitement mounted as I attended makeup trials and met some of the other models… and remember, I’m 5ft 10, so as you can see, model Nyuon is sky high!

Different make up looks were trialed and it made me smile every time I looked on the design board and saw my outfit design alongside the picture of me from my camping holiday – I was never going to escape that self tape!

Then the day arrived. AND I DID IT! Guys, I walked LONDON FASHION WEEK! I walked for the absolute best designer, Hengdi Wang. I did it!

It really was one of the most intense experiences of my life… and as you know, I’ve had some pretty intense experiences! But this was magically intense, it was as if there were sparks in the air all afternoon and when it came to the show, those sparks ignited into fireworks that pulsed through our very souls. Fashion journalists have described it much better than I have, with the show gaining a lot of press. My shoes in particular got a lot of attention!

My BTS reel gives a feel of what a massive production it was. I met such incredible people like Lan Nguyen-Grealis the multi-award winning make-up artist and Johanna Cree Brown creative director for Trevor Sorbie. Total superstars working on my hair and makeup. Everyone was lovely and I was made to feel so welcome and a true member of the team.

I came away from the event (after the cool cool cool after party) knowing that this is what I want to do. I remember Coco Rocha saying to me “there’s no money in runway, you do it for the thrill of it,” and it certainly was a thrill. I loved every single element of the process.

And maybe there’s some part of me, having lost my leg and being faced with the prospect of never walking again, that wants to show the world that I can walk, and I can walk super slowly (and super fast on other runways and down mega stairs on others) and in massive heels too! I guess whenever I’m told ‘it might be too hard’ or ‘you can’t’… I choose to say: “Just watch me.”

There were so many sensational photos from the show, but here are a few of my favourites:

I was so honoured to walk the show and I want to say a massive thank you to everyone involved. I had the time of my life. Thank you for including me.

Tunisia

Annabel’s Amputee Assessment: 5 Star

What a find! This hotel ticks all of the boxes for amputees, and anyone who simply wants a gorgeous 5 star experience!

Back in 2019, when I had two legs, my Grandpa took all 14 members of our family on holiday to Turkey to celebrate his 70th birthday:

Well, a lot’s happened since then, but we’re still a family of 14 and we still have birthdays to celebrate, so this year my Grandpa wanted to take us all away for his 75th!

We needed to find a hotel that worked for us all. I have one leg, my Grandma’s had a knee replacement, my Grandpa needs a knee replacement and my Aunties and Uncles just like to lie around on the beach. So, we settled on the Kuriat Palace in Tunisia… but settling was something it wasn’t! The hotel was truly fabulous! Real 5 star treatment from the moment we arrived, greeted with flowers for our hair and delicious cocktails.

The room I was given couldn’t have been better – all organised in advance with the hotel who are brilliant at replying to emails. I happened to be part of an Ottobock campaign over the summer called the ‘invisible class’ where we share our holiday hacks to make travelling easier and this video highlights just how great my room was:

As you can see, hardly any walking was involved at all! I am, however, a really active amputee and the hotel didn’t disappoint. For people looking for a bit more adventure than just lounging by the pool, there’s Jet Skis, Flying Fish, and Banana Boats right on the beach which is literally the other side of the pool.

I would also highly recommend the Quad Biking, organised by the hotel. There are no foot pedals involved, you accelerate and brake on the handle bars so it’s a perfect high-adrenaline day for amputees. My mum, social media manager, and world’s best ‘momager‘, who makes most of my content, also makes our family films and has done since I was born. So here’s the Quadding section from film number 92-Tunisia’25!

It’s really reasonably priced and about 25 minutes from the hotel with drinks available in the shade afterwards. Honestly it was so much fun and I’d have gone back and done it again if it wasn’t for all of the other fun stuff going on. Another highly recommended trip would be the snorkelling, a short boat ride from the marina.

Again, very reasonably priced. There were also camels to ride, slides to have fun on, foam parties to enjoy. It really was a hotel for everyone.

I can’t recommend Kuriat Palace enough! The food is excellent. The entertainment is great. It’s just a perfect, easy-access hotel for amputees, but there’s also tons of fun for the adrenaline junkies. 5 stars all around!

The most famous page in publishing!

I was in the middle of sitting my GCSEs when the email came in from the Lifestyle Editor of Country Life Magazine inviting me to star on their frontispiece. It detailed how the frontispiece was the first page of the magazine and one of the most prestigious pages in British publishing.

One of the most prestigious pages in British publishing.

The email shared how the likes of the late Queen Elizabeth and Daphne du Maurier had featured and how the page consisted of a single photograph, chosen by the editor from a collection taken by one of their commissioned photographers. This article wonderfully details how it was initially conceived to portray members of the aristocracy and introduce young women into Society: 12 Famous Frontispieces.

The email finished with the words: “I could think of no one I’d rather have gracing our pages.”

I could think of no one I’d rather have gracing our pages.

The GCSE revision stopped immediately! I phoned my Grandma who lives in a village where everyone has a Country Life Magazine subscription and that’s where the excitement really began! The shoot was booked in for June 17th, the day after my final GCSE exam – physics! What a way to start my summer!

The incredible Anya Campbell was the commissioned photographer and she was just wonderful. We shot a variety of looks in different locations, and it was very relaxed and natural, a far cry from my usual sultry and edgy modelling photography, with Anya having to shout on numerous occasions: “too sexy!” It was so much fun and I now have some lovely smiley images to add to my portfolio.

My feature appeared in the September 3rd edition 2025 and I obviously went straight out and bought loads of copies:

The photograph that was chosen for the frontispiece was just gorgeous. It literally looks like a painting:

The whole experience has just been magical and I am so proud and honoured to be part of such magnificent history.

…and for anyone wondering how I got on with my GCSEs: