Ruth Madeley has opened up about the heartbreaking moment doctors told her mum there was “little hope” after she was diagnosed with spina bifida before she was born.
The actress, 38, plays the lead in upcoming BBC thriller The Rapture and her character is disabled.
But while many viewers know Ruth from roles in Doctor Who and Years and Years, some may not know the story behind why she uses a wheelchair.
Ruth Madeley’s mum was given ‘little hope’
Six weeks before Ruth was born, doctors discovered she had spina bifida, a condition where a baby’s spine and spinal cord do not fully develop during pregnancy.
Looking back on the diagnosis, Ruth has revealed the bleak outlook her parents were given.
Writing for the BBC, she explained: “My mum’s experience from her obstetrician 31 years ago was very negative when they discovered I had spina bifida just six weeks before I was born.
“They told my mum that I would never walk and that I would have many other health complications – not offering my family much hope for me at all.
“Termination was never an option for my mum but, met with such negativity from professionals, she was naturally very worried about my health and whether I would live or not.”
Thankfully, Ruth survived, although it later became clear she would always have difficulty walking.
She also developed scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, and underwent numerous operations throughout her childhood.
Why does Ruth Madeley use a wheelchair?
Due to her condition, Ruth has used a wheelchair since she was a young child.
When she was five years old, children’s charity Whizz Kidz gave her a custom-made pink wheelchair – something she still remembers fondly.
She previously told The Times: “It was so cool-looking. Barbie on wheels. That was all I ever wanted to be.”
Rather than holding her back, Ruth says her family always encouraged her to believe she could achieve anything.
Speaking in Who Do You Think You Are? earlier this month, she reflected: “Those secondary school years… those teenage years were really, really hard. But it was never seen as a reason not to achieve or to not be happy.
“I never grew up seeing anyone on screen that looked like me.”
Acting career and disability awareness
Ruth never formally trained as an actress. She has previously revealed she was cast “by accident” after completing work experience at the BBC, where a television executive encouraged her to audition.
She has since appeared in Doctor Who, Years and Years, Fresh Meat, Cold Feet and The War Between the Land and the Sea.
Away from acting, Ruth has become a passionate disability campaigner.
She has continued to support Whizz Kidz, becoming a patron of the charity in 2019.
Ruth Madeley’s character in The Rapture
The Rapture is based on the best selling novel of the same name and looks set to keep viewers hooked from start to finish.
Ruth stars as forensic psychologist Dr Gabs Fox. She begins a new job at a high security psychiatric hospital before immediately finding herself facing an extraordinary case.
Her first patient is 17-year-old Bethany Krall, who has been convicted of murdering her mother. Bethany insists she is innocent and claims she can predict the future using psychic powers. But can Gabs separate fact from fantasy?
Ruth’s character is also a wheelchair user. Dr Gabs Fox is newly disabled after suffering a spinal cord injury in a serious car accident. Following spinal rehabilitation, she relocates to Wales, where the story begins.
Speaking about the role, Ruth said: “When The Rapture first came to me, I fell in love with the character, her story, her grief, her flaws.
“Seeing a disabled lead is always really exciting and knowing I can play that well and be the right person for it is even more exciting. I love her flaws. I never want to play a character who’s too perfect. It’s not real.”
- The Rapture begins at 9pm on BBC one and BBC iPlayer on Sunday July 26, 2026
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