Billy Monger is one of four famous faces taking part in Celebrity Race Across the World on BBC One, just six years after tragically losing both his legs in a horrifying accident.
He was just 17 years of age when he was involved in a terrifying crash that subsequently caused him to have both his limbs amputated. And, in a rare insight into his condition, he has admitted that “learning to walk again was frustrating”.
Billy, now 24, is one of the celebrities taking on the challenge of the BAFTA-winning series for the first time. He joins Melanie Blatt, Alex Beresford, and Harry Judd who all leave behind their lives of luxury to embark upon an epic 10,000km race from Africa to the Arctic.
They must ditch their reliance on luxury travel, smartphones and credit cards, and learn to travel on a limited budget… The challenge is tough enough, but Billy has to factor in his artificial limbs.
Billy Monger on Celebrity Race Across the World
British racing driver and pundit Billy Monger takes part in the BBC One series with his sister, Bonny. The pair will be racing against the other three pairs. The pairings have four weeks, and a family member for company, to race from Marrakesh in Morocco, to Tromso in Norway via several European checkpoints.
And, like the non-starry version, the beauty is in the relationships, and bearing witness to how the contestants work under pressure… It only takes a few minutes for Bonny to reveal her bro is a mummy’s boy.
Explaining why he wanted to take part in BBC One‘s Celebrity Race Across the World, he said: “We’ve spoken about going travelling before. So, we sat down and watched it and got more and more into it and then decided why not?”
He also admits that he might “struggle with the budgeting”.
How did Celebrity Race Across the World star Billy Monger lose his legs?
Double amputee Billy tragically lost both his legs in a horrific crash at Donington Park. In April 2017 – just weeks before his 18th birthday – he was critically injured in a collision. Billy almost died after crashing at high speed into the back of Finnish driver Patrik Pasma. Patrick was not seriously injured in the crash. It took crew 90 minutes to cut Billy free from the car.
His injuries were so catastrophic that both of his legs had to be amputated, one below and the other above the knee. His left leg was amputated high above the knee, leaving him with a short stump of his thigh. Billy’s right leg is longer, being amputated below the knee. The extra length and use of the joint enables him to drive modified cars.
The accident triggered one of the fastest-growing JustGiving campaigns in history, with nearly 20,000 people, including Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, donating more than £800,000 to help with Billy’s rehabilitation.
After treatment and therapy, he returned to competing in November 2017. In 2018, he won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity.
In 2021, Surrey-born Billy Monger completed Billy’s Big Challenge, covering a distance of 140 miles (230km) by walking, kayaking and cycling. He raised over £3 million for Comic Relief.
‘Learning to walk again was frustrating’
Talking about his accident, Billy said: “Racing is a dangerous sport, and I knew that as a driver before, but obviously you don’t expect that to happen.”
His ultimate goal, as it was before he lost his legs, is to race in Formula One. He now says: “I am an amputee – that’s just a fact. But I don’t really like using the term ‘disabled’. If I’m able to do it, I’ll do it. I’ve got a blue badge for parking, but that’s about as far as it goes. Though my parents normally try to nick it off me.”
Talking about his recovery, he adds: “I want to get everything done quickly, so learning to walk again was frustrating. I dreaded it [swimming]. Not only was I in a wheelchair and everything was on show, but they had to crane me into the pool.”
However, he now says he is “mentally a lot stronger than I was before”. He concludes: “Racing used to be my life, and if I didn’t get really good results, it would be the end of the world and I’d get really down about it.
“Now, though I’m still focused on winning, I know there are more important things.”
Celebrity Race Across the World starts on Wednesday, September 20 2023, at 9pm at BBC One.
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