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Speaker 1: You're listening to a MoMA Mia podcast. Mama Mea acknowledges

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Speaker 1: the traditional owners of land and waters that this podcast

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Speaker 1: is recorded on.

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Speaker 2: You know this is a No Filter podcast.

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Speaker 1: I wanted to share that story on the fact that

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Speaker 1: me and Rosie had two quadriplegics having the best sex

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Speaker 1: of our life, so there is hope that you haven't

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Speaker 1: lost that sexual relationship.

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Speaker 3: Hi, I'm Katelinebrook and welcome to No Filter. At just

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Speaker 3: twenty five years old, David Holmes was living the dream.

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Speaker 3: He was working on the biggest film franchise in the world,

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Speaker 3: out partying and fully immersed in a life of sex,

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Speaker 3: drugs and rock and roll. A former gymnast turned stunt man,

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Speaker 3: David was Daniel Radcliffe's stunt double in all the Harry

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Speaker 3: Potter films, literally going up alongside the cast, almost like

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Speaker 3: a big brother to a group of preteens who would

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Speaker 3: go on to become global stars. But while rehearsing a

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Speaker 3: stunt for the final Harry Potter film, a move he'd

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Speaker 3: done many times before, something went terribly wrong. David was

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Speaker 3: flung into a wall and broke his neck. He remembers

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Speaker 3: the sound, the feeling, and staying completely conscious as emergency

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Speaker 3: services arrived. He now refers to his injury as the

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Speaker 3: gift that keeps on taking Over fifteen years later, David

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Speaker 3: has the use of only one arm, but as you'll

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Speaker 3: hear in this conversation, he doesn't see himself as a victim. Life,

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Speaker 3: he says, guarantees nothing. It's what you do with what

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Speaker 3: you've got that counts, and David is doing a lot,

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Speaker 3: from writing a novel to producing a documentary with his

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Speaker 3: friend Daniel Radcliffe, hosting a podcast, advocating for disability rights,

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Speaker 3: and yes, having the best sex of his life. This

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Speaker 3: man truly has no filter and why should he. From

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Speaker 3: the moment this conversation began, I was laughing because David

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Speaker 3: Holmes is someone who brings a spark of silliness and

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Speaker 3: honesty to every moment. Hello, Kay, I didn't realize that

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Speaker 3: the extension of your skills had now spread to doing

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Speaker 3: acting and a little falsetto.

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Speaker 1: You'd be surprised what I've managed to achieve in my

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Speaker 1: life despite the fact of the barriers that are in

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Speaker 1: front of me. I've got very secret projects that I

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Speaker 1: can't publicly announce, but it involves acting and really very much.

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Speaker 3: So man, Yeah, well, you know, your talents not really

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Speaker 3: that secret, given that you have written a book. You

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Speaker 3: have written a book, The Boy Who Lived When Magic

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Speaker 3: and Reality Collide My story, which is an extraordinary story,

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Speaker 3: and a docco The Boy Who Lived. Now the journey, right,

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Speaker 3: what a journey, an epic one, an odyssey really. But

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Speaker 3: I've got to tell you I had an extraordinary day

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Speaker 3: with you that, of course you on the other side

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Speaker 3: of the world would have been unaware of. But I

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Speaker 3: watched the documentary about you with my son. I've got

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Speaker 3: three sons, like your mum. I've got three sons, and

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Speaker 3: my number two son is seventeen. Yeah, Ok, the same

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Speaker 3: age that you were when you started being the stunt

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Speaker 3: double for Daniel Radcliffe in the Harry Potter movies. And

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Speaker 3: so we were this dooco together and you know, with

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Speaker 3: a seventeen year old, you just don't know a teenage boy,

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Speaker 3: You don't know what they're thinking. He didn't peel off

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Speaker 3: at any point during it. Yeah, he's stayed fixed with it.

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Speaker 3: I mean we all were. It's extraordinary. And at the

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Speaker 3: end he stood up and he went hmm, legend our

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Speaker 3: blessed and walked out of the room.

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Speaker 2: Oh, blessed. Yeah, that's whole.

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Speaker 3: How's that?

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Speaker 1: But to know that in a society where young men

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Speaker 1: are trying to navigate what it is like masculinity and

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Speaker 1: to be a man, to know that for your son

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Speaker 1: at that moment there that I showed him certain aspects

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Speaker 1: of my life and my journey through the documentary that

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Speaker 1: might help him get a grip of that.

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Speaker 2: What a gift day is.

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Speaker 1: So I'm very grateful to share my story to the

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Speaker 1: journey that I've had because if it hasn't knock on

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Speaker 1: effect for so many others, then it's start a good thing.

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Speaker 2: Right.

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Speaker 3: Well, it's also very appealing, I think because because you're

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Speaker 3: a stuntman, ye and outside of on a film set,

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Speaker 3: aside from either movie, there's the movie stars. We get that,

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Speaker 3: But then if you're going to go for who the

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Speaker 3: next alpha men are on a film set, it's the stunties.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I believe it is.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean the director's assistant directors that we're all

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Speaker 1: justling for, like our mark.

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Speaker 2: On the creative experience.

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Speaker 1: But some performers get to be the young sum heroes

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Speaker 1: and tell the story with their physicality and to make

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Speaker 1: the impossible possible, and for many years I did that,

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Speaker 1: and then it's you know, it's part of who I

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Speaker 1: was as a child, and it's part of who I

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Speaker 1: am now as an adult. Despite the fact I'm now quadriplegic,

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Speaker 1: I still perform stunts something last year I set my

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Speaker 1: head on fire, right, and every day I get wonderful

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Speaker 1: messages just like what you had with your son, where

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Speaker 1: people saying this, you know, really helped me gain perspective

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Speaker 1: and understanding on the journey that I'm on and some

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Speaker 1: of the difficulty or the trauma that I've navigating.

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Speaker 3: So well. It's such an interesting thing because you yourself,

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Speaker 3: i'man aside from the accident and who physically you are

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Speaker 3: compared to who you were, you know at the start.

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Speaker 3: I think that there's many lessons that can be learnt,

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Speaker 3: that can be extrapolated to different circumstances that aren't necessarily

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Speaker 3: to do with physicality.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, of course, yeah, yeah, life's hard for all of us.

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Speaker 3: This life is hard.

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Speaker 1: Broken neck or no broken neck, it's hot. We're given

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Speaker 1: this lesson, like this gift, and then you have to

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Speaker 1: understand it's a lesson of loss. I learned that lesson

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Speaker 1: the hardest way at twenty five with my accident, and

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Speaker 1: I continue to have to navigate that lesson now with

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Speaker 1: changing in neurology, or elderly dogs that are just shitting

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Speaker 1: everywhere in my house, or you know, seeing my parents'

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Speaker 1: age and stuff like that. So it's I learned that

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Speaker 1: lesson at twenty five and it made me make my

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Speaker 1: peace with the facts.

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Speaker 2: It teaches you gratude. All right.

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Speaker 1: I am here today now where I'm going to be

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Speaker 1: in ten years time in my body, I can't tell you.

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Speaker 1: No one can tell you that. You can't tell me

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Speaker 1: with yours. But with what I'm going through, with the changes,

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Speaker 1: with the journey, with what I've lost, it forces me

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Speaker 1: to be here now, to like take in the day

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Speaker 1: and it's a really crappy gray day in England, but

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Speaker 1: still the world presents gifts. Spring has happened, there's leaves

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Speaker 1: on the true I've had a visit by a greenwood

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Speaker 1: paper in my garden today. I've got I've made a

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Speaker 1: really good show on the steam room. I've done toilet routine,

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Speaker 1: which as a quadriplegic is very hard to navigate. Can

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Speaker 1: I be really crude in this podcast?

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Speaker 3: Please? You can be what however you are no filter.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, no filter? Right, so are you ready for this strapping? Okay, So,

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Speaker 1: as I go into detail in the book, I can't

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Speaker 1: have control of my bower routine. Yes, so my routine

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Speaker 1: involves in certain responsibitories in my house. Now I have

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Speaker 1: no act to do that. So that means I've had

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Speaker 1: more hands up my ass than the cast of the Muppets.

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Speaker 1: So yeah, you soon learn to think. All right, that's

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Speaker 1: just a process. That's what we got doing. Once that's done.

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Speaker 1: At the start, it's horrifying, it's really bad, it's degrading,

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Speaker 1: it's all of those things. And anyone who goes through

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Speaker 1: medical issues will navigate this at some stage.

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Speaker 2: And when you get older, you're going to navigate this.

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Speaker 3: And there is a handing over of things that we

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Speaker 3: consider to be innate sort of rights, like the right

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Speaker 3: to autonomy or the right to privacy over our bodies.

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Speaker 3: And of course you forfeited that in a really sudden way.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: I always say to people, never neglect the fact you're

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Speaker 1: sitting on a socially conscious asshole, because it tells you

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Speaker 1: when it needs to part, and mine doesn't. So I've

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Speaker 1: crapped myself everywhere top of Mountains film premieres. You name

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Speaker 1: it at about accident, and it never gets easier, but

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Speaker 1: if you can find the joy and humor after it,

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Speaker 1: it gets a little bit more digestible.

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Speaker 2: So I always just laugh at myself. Shit happens to us.

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Speaker 3: So this accident that you refer to that will be

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Speaker 3: discussing happen in two thousand and nine. So you've lived

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Speaker 3: in this new incarnation of your body, yeah, for quite

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Speaker 3: some time. But before then you describe yourself as arrogant

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Speaker 3: and self centered and a bit of a knob. And

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Speaker 3: so this was when you were like flying high as

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Speaker 3: a Stundy. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: The ego is so easy to creep in when your

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Speaker 1: number one s on call sheet, working on the biggest

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Speaker 1: kids franchise, driving a fast Mercedes, and you know, prowling

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Speaker 1: for sexual partners.

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Speaker 2: You know what I mean? I say prouding, that's not

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Speaker 2: that's the work, you.

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Speaker 3: Know, She's a different word. Yeah, but yes, you were

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Speaker 3: enjoying the array of gifts that life has to offer.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and I had a lot, and I was enjoying

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Speaker 1: a lot and whether if that was you know, sex,

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Speaker 1: drugs and sausage rolls.

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Speaker 2: I've consumed them all.

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Speaker 1: And it's it was that was me then, and that

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Speaker 1: was me at the height of where I was with

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Speaker 1: the success that I was given. But that success wasn't

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Speaker 1: just handed out for free. There were years of gymnastics

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Speaker 1: and hurt and pain and turmoil and bullying that got

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Speaker 1: me to that point of success.

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Speaker 3: The bullying. The bullying is interesting. Was the bullying because

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Speaker 3: of your height?

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Speaker 1: Or yeah, man, you've been in society we screw small men,

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Speaker 1: We give small men a bad wrapping life, and it's

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Speaker 1: that we're off on us foot. But mac milligates it right.

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Speaker 1: Why would you want to look down on people your

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Speaker 1: whole life? Looking up to people is the way like

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Speaker 1: aspiring looking up like never never being ashamed of your

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Speaker 1: height or your stature, or your social position or your wealth,

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Speaker 1: like because if you've got something to look up to,

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Speaker 1: whether that's physically or mentally, it gives you aspirations for

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Speaker 1: your life and it gives you a grounding to say,

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Speaker 1: you know, I want to be there or I want

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Speaker 1: to And I'm not saying like extended my legs and

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Speaker 1: get taller. I'm saying right that the humbling experience of

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Speaker 1: what it is to be smaller, to have people call

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Speaker 1: you half prime and ditch and all that lot and

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Speaker 1: some minute breaks. But for me, I learned to embrace

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Speaker 1: it and then eventually use it, and it turned me

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Speaker 1: into it very successful young man as a gymnast.

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Speaker 3: Incredibly because you're are you five foot two?

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Speaker 1: Yeah? Five foot two one in three quarters, but I

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Speaker 1: take five foot right. Picking yourself up that extra each

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Speaker 1: always makes a difference, you know.

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Speaker 3: So I've heard.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 3: But here's the thing with that turned out actually to

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Speaker 3: be to your advantage because when you first met Daniel Radcliffe,

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Speaker 3: he was eleven and it started filming the Harry Potter films.

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Speaker 3: You were seventeen. But you could be a perfect stunt

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Speaker 3: double for him because you had that physicality, not just

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Speaker 3: that all of the kids.

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Speaker 1: In the first two films, I'm the Hermione when the

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Speaker 1: troll smashes through the bathroom doors.

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Speaker 2: I am the.

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Speaker 1: Ron sitting on the back of the horses. He gets

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Speaker 1: hit on the chest piece. I am the Malfoy in

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Speaker 1: the quidditch match, flying off with his broom. I am

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Speaker 1: the Malfoy flying on the table. And Harry Potter two

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Speaker 1: in the dueling sequence, there was I doubled pretty much

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Speaker 1: most of the young cars Neville in the first two films,

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Speaker 1: and then all of Dale grew up, and then Dan.

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Speaker 1: Thankfully he's only grew to five foot five. So Harry

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Speaker 1: lifts in my shoes. I could stay it's stunt double yeah.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, right. And then you So during the course of

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Speaker 3: those movies, you became incredibly close.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I was just pe teacher.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: So twice three times a week he comes to the

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Speaker 1: stunt department. We'd shut the doors and we do things

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Speaker 1: that were giving Insurance Company an absolute heart attack. I'd

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Speaker 1: get him doing some sorts off and trampoline, jumping off

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Speaker 1: a pork cabin, swinging swords around, doing judo, keeping fit, exercise.

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Speaker 1: It was all part of being a gymnast growing up,

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Speaker 1: having coaches in plant, their coaching and their physical gifts

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Speaker 1: to me, learning how to be a good gymnast. I

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Speaker 1: was able to just do that for Dank, and now

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Speaker 1: whenever I see his body in a film or a

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Speaker 1: TV program, or if I see him do something that's

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Speaker 1: a sun element, I'm always very proud that I contributed

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Speaker 1: to that, to the man that he is on camera now.

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Speaker 1: And I'd like to say, and I'm sure I'm not overreaching.

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Speaker 1: I'm sure he would say that I contributed to the

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Speaker 1: man that he is in life as well, which.

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Speaker 3: Is well, he does say that, Yeah.

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Speaker 1: It's a good things. You got to watch him grow

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Speaker 1: up on the camera. I got to watch him grow

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Speaker 1: as a human being, and I could not be proud

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Speaker 1: of who he is, whether that is his willingness to

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Speaker 1: stand up for what he believes in over certain issues,

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Speaker 1: or seeing him as a younger father and how the

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Speaker 1: joy that brings to his life. He's a great human

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Speaker 1: being and will sacrifice his life to make sure other

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Speaker 1: people stay employed. You know, Like recently he was on

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Speaker 1: a Broadway show and it was going to close down

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Speaker 1: and he's looking around and if he was to leave

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Speaker 1: his contract. They asked for an extension, and he looked

256
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Speaker 1: around and he's like, well, if I don't do the extension,

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Speaker 1: then all these people become unemployed. So he went back

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Speaker 1: and he'd done eight extra shows a week for three months.

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Speaker 1: You know, Like that's commitment to others, not commitment to himself.

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Speaker 1: So that's the mark of who he is.

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Speaker 3: And you know him very well because the reading your book,

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Speaker 3: it really imparted a lovely sense of course, we all

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Speaker 3: know the Harry Potter movies. But for you guys, it

264
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Speaker 3: was almost like an annual summer camp. Yeah, because you

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Speaker 3: saw each other every year for ten years.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, pretty much. There was the longest break between the

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Speaker 2: films was maybe.

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Speaker 1: Four arms in total, So we were always interacting with

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Speaker 1: each other and we were able to because it was

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Speaker 1: Hogwarts Express was a runaway train after the second film.

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Speaker 2: It was just massive.

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Speaker 1: And I think keeping the continuity of crew helps keep

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Speaker 1: those young adults in an environment where they felt safe

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Speaker 1: to explore becoming better actors, that felt safe to grow

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Speaker 1: up without the prime eyes. And I'm a bit nervous

276
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Speaker 1: because they're redoing it now, and then the young cast

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Speaker 1: members are also now exposed to social media and the

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Speaker 1: damage that that is doing to our society. Now.

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Speaker 2: I use it as a tool like it's a worktool,

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Speaker 2: you know what I mean.

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Speaker 1: I use it to help promote an image of disability

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Speaker 1: that doesn't frame us as a victive. For young people

283
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Speaker 1: who are very impressionable that trying to work out who

284
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Speaker 1: they are. I think it's very damaging to be able

285
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Speaker 1: to click a button and put a filter on and

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Speaker 1: change your face.

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Speaker 3: After this short break, David tells me what he remembers

288
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Speaker 3: about the day of his accident. Don't go anywhere well, interestingly,

289
00:17:27,885 --> 00:17:34,525
Speaker 3: because your physical body was your ultimate work tool, and

290
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Speaker 3: you sustained so many injuries as stunties do in the

291
00:17:39,405 --> 00:17:44,085
Speaker 3: course of your work. Before I'm going to call it

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Speaker 3: a fateful day. How do you think of that day

293
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Speaker 3: in two thousand and nine, You know, the day that sent.

294
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Speaker 1: Me down with different roads, that put me on a

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Speaker 1: different path. And it's a day that's hard. You know,

296
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Speaker 1: every time the analysty comes around, it's always that very

297
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Speaker 1: soon I'm going to be in a.

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Speaker 2: Wheelchair longer than i was on legs, you know, that's.

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Speaker 1: Always or when look, you know, time passing is hard,

300
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Speaker 1: and I try to enjoy the passing of time as

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Speaker 1: best I can. But at the same time, when you're

302
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Speaker 1: going through physical changes like I am, it is some

303
00:18:20,285 --> 00:18:23,165
Speaker 1: of those important data are quite difficult to navigate.

304
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Speaker 3: When is when is the anniversary days?

305
00:18:26,405 --> 00:18:28,165
Speaker 2: Right towards the end of January.

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Speaker 1: I don't say it because yes, yeah, funny enough, it's

307
00:18:32,965 --> 00:18:37,405
Speaker 1: just certain aspects of my life, like Wikipedia's got my

308
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Speaker 1: birthday wrong and stuff like that.

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Speaker 2: It puts me down as forty three. I'm actually forty one.

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Speaker 2: So and also now I'm a public person.

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Speaker 1: There is just a few vula benities that are trying

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Speaker 1: to protect myself from.

313
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Speaker 3: And how do you recall the events of that day.

314
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Speaker 2: Fully conscious throughout the whole thing? I remember it. I

315
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Speaker 2: know the noise.

316
00:18:59,405 --> 00:19:02,565
Speaker 1: What noise makes when your neck breaks, I know is

317
00:19:02,605 --> 00:19:06,365
Speaker 1: that I recover of breath. I sometimes relimit with posed

318
00:19:06,405 --> 00:19:09,005
Speaker 1: to make stress when a falling asleep. So funny enough,

319
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Speaker 1: I listen to podcasts when I'm falling asleep. So yeah,

320
00:19:12,965 --> 00:19:15,565
Speaker 1: that was something that I learned in hospital as I'm

321
00:19:15,685 --> 00:19:19,525
Speaker 1: slipping into sleep that I can go for pts and

322
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Speaker 1: relive that moment, like we live the plug socket that

323
00:19:23,125 --> 00:19:25,765
Speaker 1: was looking at to fix my eyeline and you know

324
00:19:25,845 --> 00:19:27,125
Speaker 1: the noise of the wire.

325
00:19:26,925 --> 00:19:27,885
Speaker 2: Pulling and all that lot.

326
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Speaker 1: So I just find a coping strategy and know how

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Speaker 1: to use it.

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Speaker 3: For those who don't know, you were doing a stunt

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Speaker 3: that involved you being on a wire and then fired

330
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Speaker 3: pulled rapidly towards the wall, and you'd rehearsed at the

331
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Speaker 3: day before.

332
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Speaker 2: Yeah you got it. Yeah, so we was doing Harry

333
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Speaker 2: battling the Guini and for the snake.

334
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Speaker 1: Yeah, so as we as we should have been doing

335
00:19:57,005 --> 00:20:00,125
Speaker 1: as some performers. In the Harry Potter series, we saw

336
00:20:00,165 --> 00:20:03,325
Speaker 1: so many spelled reactions that were used by a wire

337
00:20:03,525 --> 00:20:05,445
Speaker 1: and it's our job to always try and push the

338
00:20:05,445 --> 00:20:08,685
Speaker 1: boundaries of the action. And as the film's got more

339
00:20:08,765 --> 00:20:13,045
Speaker 1: intense and more serious and what, we were always trying

340
00:20:13,085 --> 00:20:16,285
Speaker 1: to make the spells a bit more serious, reactive, speedy

341
00:20:16,285 --> 00:20:17,085
Speaker 1: out and all that lot.

342
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Speaker 3: And you succeeded, by the way, because those movies, I

343
00:20:21,925 --> 00:20:27,765
Speaker 3: think changed changed the way movie making is told with

344
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Speaker 3: any element of magic.

345
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Speaker 1: Very few franchises continue to hold their own as they

346
00:20:37,205 --> 00:20:40,725
Speaker 1: progress through each different film, and Harry Pottery is one

347
00:20:40,765 --> 00:20:41,445
Speaker 1: of those things.

348
00:20:42,165 --> 00:20:43,045
Speaker 2: So yeah, I was.

349
00:20:43,125 --> 00:20:45,885
Speaker 1: Raised the day before, and then the suggestion was made

350
00:20:46,005 --> 00:20:49,565
Speaker 1: short in the distance and to put a slack line

351
00:20:49,685 --> 00:20:51,965
Speaker 1: in so the snatch off the floor was too quick.

352
00:20:53,565 --> 00:20:57,165
Speaker 1: That was two vital mistakes that sent me into a

353
00:20:57,245 --> 00:21:01,325
Speaker 1: wall SINNI mile an hour on my chest folding into

354
00:21:01,365 --> 00:21:05,685
Speaker 1: my nose that my spinalcle separated at the C six

355
00:21:05,765 --> 00:21:08,325
Speaker 1: c cent vertebrae, just at the bottom of your neck

356
00:21:08,405 --> 00:21:12,565
Speaker 1: before your thought rack starts. And I was instantly paralyzed

357
00:21:12,565 --> 00:21:14,885
Speaker 1: from that moment. And I knew that I'd done it.

358
00:21:15,245 --> 00:21:17,765
Speaker 1: I knew what a boken. Brain felt like and I

359
00:21:17,805 --> 00:21:21,525
Speaker 1: felt my whole body, and once I'd recovered my breath,

360
00:21:22,405 --> 00:21:28,125
Speaker 1: I kept consciousness, made some very good, smart suggestions about

361
00:21:29,285 --> 00:21:31,925
Speaker 1: making sure a camera was safe, that I had the

362
00:21:31,965 --> 00:21:34,645
Speaker 1: footage because I knew Health and Safety would have to

363
00:21:34,685 --> 00:21:39,245
Speaker 1: review that, and then told my best mates don't call

364
00:21:39,285 --> 00:21:43,765
Speaker 1: my mum to worry her, and then slipped into unconsciousness.

365
00:21:44,525 --> 00:21:46,885
Speaker 1: And then you come back to consciousness again. And then

366
00:21:46,965 --> 00:21:49,365
Speaker 1: it was the full rig more of a slow ambulance,

367
00:21:49,485 --> 00:21:51,845
Speaker 1: and I always gutted. I was then putting a helicopter,

368
00:21:51,885 --> 00:21:56,205
Speaker 1: you know, but yeah, the rigmar of snow ambulance, one

369
00:21:56,245 --> 00:21:58,845
Speaker 1: hospital and then onto the spinal lord. And then a

370
00:21:58,885 --> 00:22:01,445
Speaker 1: couple of days later, I woke up and some nurse

371
00:22:01,565 --> 00:22:04,325
Speaker 1: was rolling me over, saying you need to evacuate out

372
00:22:04,405 --> 00:22:04,885
Speaker 1: your bows.

373
00:22:04,965 --> 00:22:08,245
Speaker 2: And then I realized I don't fill my arn, you know.

374
00:22:08,365 --> 00:22:10,005
Speaker 2: When she was telling me what you doing, I was.

375
00:22:10,005 --> 00:22:13,525
Speaker 1: Like, ah, and I'll feel that so and then you

376
00:22:13,845 --> 00:22:18,325
Speaker 1: have to learn to rebuild your up. And it's when

377
00:22:18,525 --> 00:22:22,205
Speaker 1: everything's taken away like that. It starts from scratch, you know,

378
00:22:22,405 --> 00:22:25,565
Speaker 1: you know, you're stripped back to how you are as Otoba,

379
00:22:26,085 --> 00:22:29,285
Speaker 1: so vulnerable, so needy, so you know, people needed to

380
00:22:29,285 --> 00:22:32,205
Speaker 1: feed me, people needed to dress me, wash me, you

381
00:22:32,325 --> 00:22:36,605
Speaker 1: name it. So and then grueling rehabilitation. And I'm thankful

382
00:22:36,645 --> 00:22:40,925
Speaker 1: for the gifts of gymnastics and my physical prowess to

383
00:22:41,045 --> 00:22:45,045
Speaker 1: understand that nothing's gained without hard work. So I worked

384
00:22:45,205 --> 00:22:49,445
Speaker 1: tirelessly at the hospital to try and regain as much

385
00:22:49,565 --> 00:22:54,205
Speaker 1: function as possible above my level injury. And then just

386
00:22:54,245 --> 00:22:57,805
Speaker 1: before discharge, I had developed a spinal series, which is

387
00:22:57,845 --> 00:23:00,805
Speaker 1: why I'm going through changes now, which.

388
00:23:00,765 --> 00:23:02,645
Speaker 3: Which is apparently quite rare.

389
00:23:02,845 --> 00:23:05,805
Speaker 1: Very rare, Yeah, very rare, right in the beginning. So

390
00:23:05,925 --> 00:23:10,165
Speaker 1: it's assists within this final called that mine actually board

391
00:23:10,285 --> 00:23:12,885
Speaker 1: up to the C one vertebrae because it was it

392
00:23:12,965 --> 00:23:15,325
Speaker 1: was just growing so quick, and that's the problem with

393
00:23:15,525 --> 00:23:18,965
Speaker 1: where I was so healthy and fear so many white

394
00:23:18,965 --> 00:23:21,965
Speaker 1: blood cells went to the area to sort the bruising out,

395
00:23:22,325 --> 00:23:25,965
Speaker 1: and they were they were trapped in so it was

396
00:23:26,365 --> 00:23:29,685
Speaker 1: a it was one of those things that doctor says,

397
00:23:29,685 --> 00:23:31,565
Speaker 1: if you don't go surging, now you're going to die.

398
00:23:31,765 --> 00:23:34,885
Speaker 1: It's going to stop your breathing. So big surgery, and

399
00:23:34,885 --> 00:23:37,045
Speaker 1: then I had to redo my rehabilitation again.

400
00:23:37,125 --> 00:23:40,445
Speaker 2: So bad hard luck on top of bad hard luck.

401
00:23:40,725 --> 00:23:44,085
Speaker 1: So yeah, and that's now because it goes up to

402
00:23:44,125 --> 00:23:48,405
Speaker 1: C one that's where independent breathing, speech and swallow is.

403
00:23:48,605 --> 00:23:51,765
Speaker 1: So as I get older, there's a good chance that

404
00:23:52,085 --> 00:23:55,485
Speaker 1: I won't be able to keep hold of those things.

405
00:23:55,845 --> 00:23:59,485
Speaker 3: So the cyst I gather can't be removed, and it's

406
00:23:59,565 --> 00:24:01,925
Speaker 3: kind of like waiting for you, like Voldemort.

407
00:24:02,285 --> 00:24:02,845
Speaker 2: You got it.

408
00:24:02,965 --> 00:24:05,725
Speaker 1: Yeah, So it's inside my spinal cord. He's got a

409
00:24:05,805 --> 00:24:09,365
Speaker 1: shunk that's draining the pressure. If that shump blocks, and

410
00:24:09,485 --> 00:24:13,125
Speaker 1: it's back into the surgery again. And I two ninety

411
00:24:13,285 --> 00:24:15,285
Speaker 1: went from out a surgery to see if I can

412
00:24:15,965 --> 00:24:19,325
Speaker 1: check the status of the the pressure of the cysts,

413
00:24:19,445 --> 00:24:22,005
Speaker 1: shave back some scar tissue, and then I had some

414
00:24:22,045 --> 00:24:25,605
Speaker 1: really bad complications that it killed me. In twenty ninety,

415
00:24:27,005 --> 00:24:31,165
Speaker 1: was fighting for my life for surgeries, another little brain surgery,

416
00:24:31,325 --> 00:24:37,205
Speaker 1: and then came out and just about recovered to get

417
00:24:37,325 --> 00:24:40,405
Speaker 1: on a plane to go to Thailand. Got to Thailand,

418
00:24:40,485 --> 00:24:44,445
Speaker 1: and then COVID happened. And then when I was in Thailand,

419
00:24:44,485 --> 00:24:47,005
Speaker 1: I realized, hang on a minute, I'm still going through changes.

420
00:24:47,125 --> 00:24:50,525
Speaker 1: That surgery didn't work, so I had that to deal with,

421
00:24:50,805 --> 00:24:54,245
Speaker 1: and then COVID, and as a vulnerable individual, I was

422
00:24:54,245 --> 00:24:56,565
Speaker 1: asking myself is my last worthit? When I have to

423
00:24:56,645 --> 00:25:00,285
Speaker 1: risk covers to come to work. You know, like a

424
00:25:00,285 --> 00:25:02,565
Speaker 1: lot of people in the same spectrum, we're doing that,

425
00:25:03,085 --> 00:25:05,085
Speaker 1: which is not a nice place to be. Could have

426
00:25:05,125 --> 00:25:08,125
Speaker 1: done with a bit more support from our governments and

427
00:25:08,205 --> 00:25:10,605
Speaker 1: all that lot. But I was very grateful at one

428
00:25:10,645 --> 00:25:14,085
Speaker 1: of my best friends with me and look after me,

429
00:25:14,405 --> 00:25:16,645
Speaker 1: and we just got through it like weel did.

430
00:25:16,645 --> 00:25:20,565
Speaker 3: It is extraordinary, both in the book and in the

431
00:25:20,605 --> 00:25:24,565
Speaker 3: documentary and just speaking to you now that when I

432
00:25:24,605 --> 00:25:27,605
Speaker 3: think there's a great physical trauma or a great loss

433
00:25:27,645 --> 00:25:32,565
Speaker 3: of any kind, or a debilitating condition, and this is

434
00:25:32,605 --> 00:25:35,245
Speaker 3: really spoken about, I think people like to have this

435
00:25:35,325 --> 00:25:38,805
Speaker 3: idea that people are just kind of like peacefully wasting

436
00:25:38,845 --> 00:25:41,525
Speaker 3: away or whatever. But often there's a lot of bitterness,

437
00:25:41,525 --> 00:25:43,525
Speaker 3: and there's a lot of anger, there's a lot of resentment.

438
00:25:44,245 --> 00:25:49,805
Speaker 3: But you seem to have consciously made the decision to

439
00:25:50,445 --> 00:25:52,165
Speaker 3: focus on the positives.

440
00:25:52,565 --> 00:25:54,645
Speaker 1: Well, what's worse than breaking your neck, It is in

441
00:25:54,925 --> 00:25:57,685
Speaker 1: your pain, in your loved one's eyes. What's worse than

442
00:25:57,685 --> 00:26:01,365
Speaker 1: getting a diagnosis is having to tell your family and

443
00:26:01,445 --> 00:26:06,205
Speaker 1: holding on to those emotions, those vacuous emotions, you actually

444
00:26:06,325 --> 00:26:11,605
Speaker 1: hurt yourself the most first. So if you can go, okay,

445
00:26:11,845 --> 00:26:15,325
Speaker 1: that's you have to let go of the things I

446
00:26:15,325 --> 00:26:18,685
Speaker 1: can't got, you know what I mean. Like I'm not religious,

447
00:26:18,765 --> 00:26:21,205
Speaker 1: my dad is. But there's a prayer there. I will

448
00:26:21,245 --> 00:26:21,885
Speaker 1: always say.

449
00:26:21,925 --> 00:26:24,805
Speaker 2: It's a good prayer, and it's God grant me the

450
00:26:25,005 --> 00:26:28,565
Speaker 2: grace to accept the things that I can't control, embrace

451
00:26:28,605 --> 00:26:30,325
Speaker 2: the things that I can. And I think that's a

452
00:26:30,365 --> 00:26:32,965
Speaker 2: really nice way of just going.

453
00:26:33,085 --> 00:26:36,085
Speaker 1: You know, life is going to happen, and asteroids could

454
00:26:36,165 --> 00:26:38,525
Speaker 1: come and fucking wipe us out right now, we have

455
00:26:38,645 --> 00:26:40,405
Speaker 1: no control over that.

456
00:26:40,685 --> 00:26:43,365
Speaker 3: I hope. I hope not not before our interview.

457
00:26:44,325 --> 00:26:46,005
Speaker 2: No fingers crossed, not now.

458
00:26:46,205 --> 00:26:48,725
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean yeah, if I saw one, I might

459
00:26:48,805 --> 00:26:51,645
Speaker 1: be sticking my hands down my shorts just so in

460
00:26:51,845 --> 00:26:55,965
Speaker 1: case my body's you know, like the blokes in Pompeii's Yeah,

461
00:26:56,045 --> 00:26:57,005
Speaker 1: I masturbated in.

462
00:26:57,085 --> 00:26:59,485
Speaker 2: Lying on his side. That's the guy I want to be.

463
00:26:59,685 --> 00:27:01,885
Speaker 3: They got they got done instantly.

464
00:27:02,045 --> 00:27:05,445
Speaker 1: Yeah, done instantly. But his body was preserved in that position.

465
00:27:05,925 --> 00:27:07,845
Speaker 1: So he's just lying on his side, having a way

466
00:27:07,885 --> 00:27:11,645
Speaker 1: because like, yeah, wicked. No dignity, Yeah no, there's no dignit.

467
00:27:11,725 --> 00:27:15,925
Speaker 1: He was final point injury, not just like living with

468
00:27:16,285 --> 00:27:21,845
Speaker 1: like with the barroutines addressing there's the other. But I mean,

469
00:27:21,885 --> 00:27:24,485
Speaker 1: I'll tell you now, I'm in a relationship and my

470
00:27:24,605 --> 00:27:28,645
Speaker 1: girlfriends are four quadriplegic, so she's got less function than

471
00:27:28,685 --> 00:27:32,285
Speaker 1: I have. But we don't connect over our injuries. We

472
00:27:32,405 --> 00:27:35,445
Speaker 1: connect over our love for each other and how shared

473
00:27:35,565 --> 00:27:39,765
Speaker 1: experience of being loved by great families and friends and

474
00:27:40,325 --> 00:27:42,245
Speaker 1: committed care teams. How did you?

475
00:27:42,565 --> 00:27:43,405
Speaker 3: How did you meet?

476
00:27:43,925 --> 00:27:47,245
Speaker 1: She owns the property that I rented in Spain, and

477
00:27:47,445 --> 00:27:51,925
Speaker 1: she was emailing me quite a few times about my requirements,

478
00:27:52,125 --> 00:27:55,325
Speaker 1: and it was very just email exchanges, and then it

479
00:27:55,405 --> 00:27:58,725
Speaker 1: went to voice notes, just going back. Do you know

480
00:27:58,805 --> 00:28:01,765
Speaker 1: it's how being disabled them it's the other? And then

481
00:28:02,445 --> 00:28:06,605
Speaker 1: she'd never stayed at anyone else's house after a hospital

482
00:28:06,725 --> 00:28:10,165
Speaker 1: discharge because she went to a mom and dad's house

483
00:28:10,205 --> 00:28:12,645
Speaker 1: and she couldn't and she had her accident in the

484
00:28:12,685 --> 00:28:16,245
Speaker 1: same year as me, and I said, well, I built

485
00:28:16,285 --> 00:28:18,925
Speaker 1: this house and I can accommodate for you here and

486
00:28:19,045 --> 00:28:21,845
Speaker 1: your care team, and next time you're in London, why

487
00:28:21,845 --> 00:28:24,045
Speaker 1: don't you come and see my house? Because I knew

488
00:28:24,045 --> 00:28:26,725
Speaker 1: that she was building her own property up in Sheffield,

489
00:28:27,285 --> 00:28:29,885
Speaker 1: which is you know, three hundred miles away annoying me.

490
00:28:31,045 --> 00:28:34,205
Speaker 1: And because this house is a smart home, all the

491
00:28:34,365 --> 00:28:38,045
Speaker 1: doors are controlled, all the lights to controlled, the TV,

492
00:28:38,245 --> 00:28:42,565
Speaker 1: everything by by boys and thirteen years ago. I'm very,

493
00:28:42,805 --> 00:28:46,485
Speaker 1: very independent in this property, like to the degree that

494
00:28:46,645 --> 00:28:49,805
Speaker 1: I'm probably more able in this environment than most people

495
00:28:49,925 --> 00:28:52,805
Speaker 1: that are able bodied, just because I know how to

496
00:28:52,965 --> 00:28:55,805
Speaker 1: navigate it and control it with the technology.

497
00:28:56,085 --> 00:28:59,125
Speaker 3: I must sound very admiring of the fact that you

498
00:28:59,525 --> 00:29:01,245
Speaker 3: get technology to work for you.

499
00:29:02,285 --> 00:29:04,765
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

500
00:29:05,525 --> 00:29:08,765
Speaker 1: And I wanted her to incorporate those things in her

501
00:29:08,845 --> 00:29:10,805
Speaker 1: life because I know what it does for me, and

502
00:29:10,925 --> 00:29:12,605
Speaker 1: I would want every person.

503
00:29:12,485 --> 00:29:15,645
Speaker 2: In with his final cord injury to have an environment.

504
00:29:15,365 --> 00:29:17,445
Speaker 1: Like this, because the most the saving thing about and

505
00:29:17,565 --> 00:29:20,605
Speaker 1: being a wol Che user is the environment you interact with,

506
00:29:21,245 --> 00:29:24,365
Speaker 1: you know, like so in here, it's not like that.

507
00:29:24,645 --> 00:29:27,485
Speaker 2: So she came down. She was going to a gas

508
00:29:27,605 --> 00:29:32,045
Speaker 2: like Anthont gig in London, and she stayed the night

509
00:29:32,125 --> 00:29:32,925
Speaker 2: for the first night.

510
00:29:33,205 --> 00:29:36,125
Speaker 1: And her function is she can bring her arm to here,

511
00:29:36,565 --> 00:29:38,685
Speaker 1: but she hasn't got the shoulder function to lift it

512
00:29:38,725 --> 00:29:39,405
Speaker 1: out right.

513
00:29:39,645 --> 00:29:42,405
Speaker 2: So we was outside sitting in the sun.

514
00:29:42,325 --> 00:29:44,725
Speaker 1: In my garden and the wind blew her hair in

515
00:29:44,885 --> 00:29:48,605
Speaker 1: her face, and I saw her trying to blow it

516
00:29:48,685 --> 00:29:50,805
Speaker 1: out and I was like, do you want me to

517
00:29:50,845 --> 00:29:52,565
Speaker 1: get that for you? And as I brushed the hair

518
00:29:52,605 --> 00:29:55,245
Speaker 1: out of face, I was like, we're really beautiful. And

519
00:29:55,365 --> 00:29:58,685
Speaker 1: then you know, I went to a place in Spain.

520
00:29:59,445 --> 00:30:01,805
Speaker 1: She I had a week where there was space at

521
00:30:01,845 --> 00:30:03,685
Speaker 1: the end, and obviously it's her house, and I was like,

522
00:30:03,805 --> 00:30:06,045
Speaker 1: why don't you come out for that last week and

523
00:30:06,285 --> 00:30:08,365
Speaker 1: we can get a bit of time together. And then

524
00:30:09,845 --> 00:30:12,605
Speaker 1: I just looked at her, was like the world's unfair

525
00:30:12,645 --> 00:30:15,925
Speaker 1: in it, but if we were able bodied people, we'd

526
00:30:15,965 --> 00:30:18,725
Speaker 1: be doing something very different right now. And she's really

527
00:30:19,365 --> 00:30:22,245
Speaker 1: really shy, like shocking me shy. She could barely look

528
00:30:22,325 --> 00:30:24,805
Speaker 1: up look at me. She just she raised her eyes,

529
00:30:24,885 --> 00:30:26,685
Speaker 1: she looked at me and she gave me a nude

530
00:30:27,285 --> 00:30:30,605
Speaker 1: and I was like, oh, it's on. And then we've

531
00:30:30,765 --> 00:30:37,605
Speaker 1: been able to achieve connection despite what we can't feel,

532
00:30:37,965 --> 00:30:42,165
Speaker 1: what we can feel is phenomenal. What we can embrace

533
00:30:42,405 --> 00:30:44,045
Speaker 1: and what you know, it takes a team of people

534
00:30:44,205 --> 00:30:46,565
Speaker 1: for us to another couple the kiss together, but it

535
00:30:46,685 --> 00:30:48,965
Speaker 1: makes it mean more when we have to work so.

536
00:30:49,085 --> 00:30:49,765
Speaker 3: Hard for it.

537
00:30:50,365 --> 00:30:52,965
Speaker 1: You know, our shared life experience, when we go on

538
00:30:53,125 --> 00:30:56,125
Speaker 1: holiday together it means more because we have to work

539
00:30:56,165 --> 00:30:59,485
Speaker 1: harder for it. And then, you know, every orgasm that

540
00:30:59,645 --> 00:31:03,245
Speaker 1: we both give each other it means more because we're

541
00:31:03,245 --> 00:31:05,845
Speaker 1: having an orgasm below our level of injuries, something that

542
00:31:06,005 --> 00:31:10,085
Speaker 1: most people say it's unachievable. I'm like, no, I don't

543
00:31:10,205 --> 00:31:13,965
Speaker 1: accept that reality. So yeah, I'm a prime numbers man.

544
00:31:14,325 --> 00:31:17,565
Speaker 1: I ain't happy until she said at least eleven, maybe thirty.

545
00:31:18,765 --> 00:31:21,085
Speaker 1: But I tell you a really funny story. And she

546
00:31:21,205 --> 00:31:23,725
Speaker 1: doesn't mind me saying this. Asked her for a permission.

547
00:31:23,885 --> 00:31:27,205
Speaker 3: What's her name? By the way, her name is Rosy Rosie.

548
00:31:27,325 --> 00:31:29,405
Speaker 1: But anyway, this is a great story. So we was

549
00:31:29,485 --> 00:31:34,125
Speaker 1: in Thailand two years ago and we got both got

550
00:31:34,245 --> 00:31:37,205
Speaker 1: hoisted on a couch. We're watching a film together. We've

551
00:31:37,205 --> 00:31:40,205
Speaker 1: already had our first kiss. We're sitting under the couch

552
00:31:40,965 --> 00:31:46,085
Speaker 1: and we used our phones to call people. So do

553
00:31:46,205 --> 00:31:49,925
Speaker 1: we Yeah, but we have to use voice control to

554
00:31:50,165 --> 00:31:51,685
Speaker 1: ask someone to come and help us.

555
00:31:51,805 --> 00:31:52,565
Speaker 3: Okay, yes.

556
00:31:53,045 --> 00:31:55,845
Speaker 1: So her phone's on the armrest next to her, My

557
00:31:56,005 --> 00:31:59,605
Speaker 1: phone's on my leg next to me, and I'm sitting

558
00:31:59,645 --> 00:32:02,485
Speaker 1: there and she's got a skirl and I've got a

559
00:32:02,605 --> 00:32:04,525
Speaker 1: carecter cut and nickers off because they were just getting

560
00:32:04,565 --> 00:32:07,925
Speaker 1: in the way, and I was just fuck it on

561
00:32:08,045 --> 00:32:11,325
Speaker 1: going for it. So I leant over to perform our sex,

562
00:32:13,405 --> 00:32:17,725
Speaker 1: not realizing half an hour later that both her phone

563
00:32:17,845 --> 00:32:21,085
Speaker 1: is falling off the sofa and down by the cushions,

564
00:32:21,285 --> 00:32:24,085
Speaker 1: and my phone is falling down by the cushions. So

565
00:32:24,725 --> 00:32:27,925
Speaker 1: I've only got one arm, like with half a muscle

566
00:32:27,965 --> 00:32:32,285
Speaker 1: on it. So now I realized that I'm stuck. So

567
00:32:32,645 --> 00:32:34,885
Speaker 1: my first portal call is but we've got to call someone.

568
00:32:35,045 --> 00:32:37,725
Speaker 1: We were laughing about it. It's funny, and I'm.

569
00:32:37,565 --> 00:32:40,525
Speaker 2: Stuck, so we go like, hey, Siri, Like so we're

570
00:32:40,565 --> 00:32:44,965
Speaker 2: asking Siri, and it's not hearing us.

571
00:32:45,485 --> 00:32:48,885
Speaker 3: Oh all right, because it's smothered in the cushions.

572
00:32:48,725 --> 00:32:51,805
Speaker 2: Because it's smiling in the cushions. So now I was

573
00:32:51,845 --> 00:32:53,205
Speaker 2: stuck on my partner like.

574
00:32:53,285 --> 00:33:00,925
Speaker 1: This, oh, trying like literal we breatheing through her never

575
00:33:01,045 --> 00:33:04,765
Speaker 1: regions like a scuba diver while simultaneously trying to shout

576
00:33:04,805 --> 00:33:07,045
Speaker 1: from my phone. And we were stuck there for like

577
00:33:07,525 --> 00:33:11,325
Speaker 1: forty five minutes before or just one of our candygivers

578
00:33:11,445 --> 00:33:15,085
Speaker 1: just open the door upstairs, like you guys are. Rose

579
00:33:15,125 --> 00:33:19,045
Speaker 1: is softly spoken, and she was like no kind of

580
00:33:19,125 --> 00:33:21,365
Speaker 1: needs to help when they come down and rescue me.

581
00:33:21,765 --> 00:33:24,205
Speaker 1: And as I was pulled up by the candgiver that

582
00:33:24,445 --> 00:33:27,005
Speaker 1: all I said was tell missus Huggs, he died the

583
00:33:27,045 --> 00:33:27,885
Speaker 1: way he wanted to.

584
00:33:28,485 --> 00:33:32,205
Speaker 3: You know that we find.

585
00:33:31,965 --> 00:33:35,045
Speaker 2: Ourselves in situations like that all the time.

586
00:33:35,725 --> 00:33:39,365
Speaker 1: Now we can ever make light of it and embrace

587
00:33:39,485 --> 00:33:43,085
Speaker 1: it as a comedic moment, or we can let it

588
00:33:43,325 --> 00:33:48,085
Speaker 1: really break us down and dehumanize us. And I refuse

589
00:33:49,005 --> 00:33:53,685
Speaker 1: to not find shit funny because everything in life is

590
00:33:53,965 --> 00:33:56,205
Speaker 1: laughable because if you don't, you forget it.

591
00:33:56,725 --> 00:33:59,405
Speaker 3: That reminds me of something that you said when you

592
00:33:59,645 --> 00:34:03,685
Speaker 3: said after the accident to your family and your friends,

593
00:34:04,885 --> 00:34:08,965
Speaker 3: try and hope for me to be happy like I am, ye,

594
00:34:09,605 --> 00:34:13,325
Speaker 3: happy like you want me to be, which was so

595
00:34:13,805 --> 00:34:18,965
Speaker 3: powerful for people at many levels in how we love people.

596
00:34:19,365 --> 00:34:22,565
Speaker 1: Everybody looks at my story and goes, eat a musk's

597
00:34:22,605 --> 00:34:25,165
Speaker 1: going to get you walking again, you know, or you know,

598
00:34:25,845 --> 00:34:28,685
Speaker 1: let's we're going to end paralysis and all that. And

599
00:34:29,205 --> 00:34:32,645
Speaker 1: I'm like, yeah, great, we should pursue that because it's

600
00:34:33,565 --> 00:34:37,685
Speaker 1: like a life changing, life sentencing thing. But we should

601
00:34:37,725 --> 00:34:42,445
Speaker 1: also try and accept and push for a society that

602
00:34:42,685 --> 00:34:44,725
Speaker 1: does see me and accept me for who I am,

603
00:34:45,045 --> 00:34:47,605
Speaker 1: because regardless of spinal cord injury being fixable or not,

604
00:34:48,085 --> 00:34:51,125
Speaker 1: there will always be children born into wheelchairs. There will

605
00:34:51,165 --> 00:34:55,365
Speaker 1: always be elderly people needing wheelchairs to navigate society you

606
00:34:55,445 --> 00:34:59,645
Speaker 1: know yourself, including disability is not if, but when for

607
00:34:59,925 --> 00:35:03,845
Speaker 1: all of us. And we're all focusing on these silly

608
00:35:03,925 --> 00:35:09,045
Speaker 1: little issues right now that talk about very important for

609
00:35:09,565 --> 00:35:14,365
Speaker 1: marginalized people in society. But my community is the ones

610
00:35:14,525 --> 00:35:19,725
Speaker 1: that you know governments always think less than. And I

611
00:35:19,765 --> 00:35:22,805
Speaker 1: will say to everyone, if you are able to live

612
00:35:22,965 --> 00:35:25,965
Speaker 1: like this, then you are more that because you are

613
00:35:26,045 --> 00:35:29,645
Speaker 1: a great problem solver. You've been able to navigate great

614
00:35:29,725 --> 00:35:34,525
Speaker 1: difficulty and you've still been able to remember that their

615
00:35:34,725 --> 00:35:37,645
Speaker 1: happiness can be found leaving in the darkest of places.

616
00:35:38,605 --> 00:35:42,445
Speaker 3: You know, because you had always lived a life that

617
00:35:42,765 --> 00:35:47,245
Speaker 3: was characterized by is it a lack of fear that

618
00:35:47,365 --> 00:35:49,605
Speaker 3: a stuntman has? No?

619
00:35:50,205 --> 00:35:50,685
Speaker 2: Not at all?

620
00:35:50,885 --> 00:35:54,365
Speaker 1: I thought, is it it was the ability to embrace

621
00:35:54,525 --> 00:35:56,125
Speaker 1: the fear and overcome it.

622
00:35:56,405 --> 00:35:56,685
Speaker 3: It's not.

623
00:35:57,645 --> 00:36:01,885
Speaker 1: It's definitely the ability to say, all right, that's scary,

624
00:36:02,205 --> 00:36:05,965
Speaker 1: but I'm confident enough in who I am and my

625
00:36:06,085 --> 00:36:10,725
Speaker 1: ability and my conviction to be able to achieve the impossible.

626
00:36:11,205 --> 00:36:15,845
Speaker 1: Now that goes the same for gymnastics, Formula one drivers,

627
00:36:16,365 --> 00:36:19,805
Speaker 1: anybody that has to navigate something that's quite sketchy, even

628
00:36:19,885 --> 00:36:22,605
Speaker 1: people in Australia that get in the water with a

629
00:36:22,685 --> 00:36:25,605
Speaker 1: sharp you know, you know you're getting in and you know, oh,

630
00:36:25,685 --> 00:36:29,605
Speaker 1: there could be could be the day that I lose,

631
00:36:29,965 --> 00:36:32,485
Speaker 1: But you still get in because the ocean is a

632
00:36:32,525 --> 00:36:38,045
Speaker 1: beautiful thing and you know you can't compartmentalize the risk

633
00:36:38,485 --> 00:36:43,565
Speaker 1: and you take navigated, calculating risks to achieve.

634
00:36:45,085 --> 00:36:46,885
Speaker 2: You know, the storytelling process.

635
00:36:47,245 --> 00:36:50,845
Speaker 1: So I take great comfort in the fact that despite

636
00:36:51,125 --> 00:36:55,045
Speaker 1: where I am in my life because of Harry Potter,

637
00:36:55,845 --> 00:36:59,765
Speaker 1: my contribution to those films brings comfort and joy to

638
00:36:59,885 --> 00:37:01,325
Speaker 1: people every.

639
00:37:01,085 --> 00:37:02,525
Speaker 2: Single day around the world.

640
00:37:02,925 --> 00:37:06,925
Speaker 1: There are kids in conflict zones right now, petrified their

641
00:37:07,325 --> 00:37:09,525
Speaker 1: part of their parents. Put Harry Potter on a own

642
00:37:09,565 --> 00:37:12,645
Speaker 1: in front of them and it helps them escape their reality.

643
00:37:12,805 --> 00:37:16,405
Speaker 1: There are people struggling with mental health issues right now

644
00:37:17,005 --> 00:37:22,645
Speaker 1: that are always like turning to those films to help

645
00:37:22,685 --> 00:37:24,125
Speaker 1: them get through a tough time.

646
00:37:24,805 --> 00:37:28,965
Speaker 2: So yeah, I'm very very grateful.

647
00:37:28,565 --> 00:37:32,085
Speaker 1: That I was able to contribute to that fact for

648
00:37:32,565 --> 00:37:35,405
Speaker 1: tons and tons of people, and say with this podcast

649
00:37:35,525 --> 00:37:38,685
Speaker 1: now right I get to share my perspective and hopefully

650
00:37:38,805 --> 00:37:42,045
Speaker 1: someone goes, you know what you know that's helped me

651
00:37:42,165 --> 00:37:45,645
Speaker 1: today and wicked, I think you came for that and

652
00:37:45,925 --> 00:37:49,205
Speaker 1: for me and the people that helped love me to

653
00:37:49,325 --> 00:37:50,485
Speaker 1: being the person I am.

654
00:37:53,725 --> 00:37:57,205
Speaker 3: That's not all of my conversation with David Holmes coming up.

655
00:37:57,765 --> 00:38:01,245
Speaker 3: We talk about the close and enduring bond that David

656
00:38:01,285 --> 00:38:05,125
Speaker 3: has with Daniel Radcliffe and Tom Felton. We'll be right back.

657
00:38:08,645 --> 00:38:12,165
Speaker 3: At what point did you and I don't imagine it

658
00:38:12,285 --> 00:38:15,045
Speaker 3: was a critical defining moment. I imagine that it was

659
00:38:15,125 --> 00:38:18,845
Speaker 3: maybe a gradual realization, But at what point did you

660
00:38:19,965 --> 00:38:24,885
Speaker 3: realize that your approach to physical fear you would now

661
00:38:25,125 --> 00:38:31,365
Speaker 3: have to turn into a different approach for your life

662
00:38:31,565 --> 00:38:32,605
Speaker 3: as you now know us.

663
00:38:33,925 --> 00:38:36,445
Speaker 2: I think that's a gradual process that's always tested.

664
00:38:37,925 --> 00:38:40,605
Speaker 1: I think, you know, someone asked me on social media

665
00:38:40,805 --> 00:38:43,525
Speaker 1: recently or I put up a post about me being

666
00:38:43,565 --> 00:38:46,085
Speaker 1: in a Liz Holy film and it just got picked

667
00:38:46,165 --> 00:38:49,405
Speaker 1: up by just like the land of misogyny on social

668
00:38:49,485 --> 00:38:52,805
Speaker 1: media and someone I was trying to defend it. I

669
00:38:52,965 --> 00:38:55,085
Speaker 1: was like, come on, can we just be a little

670
00:38:55,125 --> 00:38:58,605
Speaker 1: bit respectful? You know, we've all got wives or partners

671
00:38:58,725 --> 00:39:01,885
Speaker 1: or sisters or daughters in our life. And just think

672
00:39:01,925 --> 00:39:04,845
Speaker 1: if someone was talking about your loved one like that,

673
00:39:05,525 --> 00:39:08,085
Speaker 1: and then all the boys that were saying all these

674
00:39:08,125 --> 00:39:10,725
Speaker 1: several things jumped on top of and someone said you

675
00:39:10,805 --> 00:39:13,085
Speaker 1: knew here. I was like, Well, to be honest, I'm

676
00:39:13,085 --> 00:39:14,125
Speaker 1: a new person every day.

677
00:39:14,845 --> 00:39:15,485
Speaker 2: We all are.

678
00:39:16,325 --> 00:39:18,565
Speaker 1: Every single day the sun comes up, We've got the

679
00:39:18,605 --> 00:39:22,485
Speaker 1: opportunity to be a new person. And I feel that

680
00:39:23,445 --> 00:39:28,605
Speaker 1: in society where we've championed the rights of others and

681
00:39:28,765 --> 00:39:35,285
Speaker 1: women especially, we should always realize that when one gains

682
00:39:35,325 --> 00:39:38,445
Speaker 1: another one doesn't have to lose another, one doesn't.

683
00:39:38,205 --> 00:39:39,685
Speaker 2: Have to be threatened, you know.

684
00:39:40,005 --> 00:39:43,365
Speaker 1: And there's a team of young men right now, I

685
00:39:43,485 --> 00:39:46,245
Speaker 1: say team, there's a generation of young men right now

686
00:39:46,805 --> 00:39:50,925
Speaker 1: that are looking to outside sources to try and work

687
00:39:50,965 --> 00:39:54,405
Speaker 1: out what it is to be a map. So I

688
00:39:55,365 --> 00:40:00,205
Speaker 1: would always say that conviction of who you are comes

689
00:40:00,245 --> 00:40:05,205
Speaker 1: from accountability. Are you accountable for who you are to

690
00:40:05,325 --> 00:40:07,525
Speaker 1: this day? Are we accountable?

691
00:40:07,645 --> 00:40:12,845
Speaker 3: On? This conversation interesting because I know Daniel Radcliffe and

692
00:40:12,925 --> 00:40:19,045
Speaker 3: Tom Felton described you as an older brother to them. Yeah,

693
00:40:20,085 --> 00:40:22,205
Speaker 3: Dan Radcliffe said, an older brother that had spent his

694
00:40:22,325 --> 00:40:26,725
Speaker 3: whole life wanting and then when you had the accident,

695
00:40:27,765 --> 00:40:33,925
Speaker 3: because you had that physical sort of prowess and superiority

696
00:40:34,085 --> 00:40:38,525
Speaker 3: taken away from you, how did that relationship change because

697
00:40:38,525 --> 00:40:40,965
Speaker 3: there's such deep affection and love there.

698
00:40:41,605 --> 00:40:41,805
Speaker 2: Yeah.

699
00:40:42,125 --> 00:40:45,645
Speaker 1: So they were young to have to see me like

700
00:40:45,765 --> 00:40:48,565
Speaker 1: that with wied in me and stuff hanging out my

701
00:40:48,685 --> 00:40:52,365
Speaker 1: nose and you know, even some stage's fire for breath,

702
00:40:53,605 --> 00:40:58,365
Speaker 1: and they were my bedside between breaks and filming, and

703
00:40:58,765 --> 00:41:04,405
Speaker 1: they kept it together and they for me being brave

704
00:41:04,485 --> 00:41:08,165
Speaker 1: for them on camera all those years and help giving

705
00:41:08,245 --> 00:41:13,245
Speaker 1: them the some of the foundation on what it's like

706
00:41:13,365 --> 00:41:16,845
Speaker 1: to be a little bit older and to have a

707
00:41:16,925 --> 00:41:21,245
Speaker 1: little bit of success or whatever it is. They got

708
00:41:21,285 --> 00:41:24,165
Speaker 1: the opportunity to flip that and be braave for me,

709
00:41:24,885 --> 00:41:28,405
Speaker 1: and I look back on top of that while still

710
00:41:28,485 --> 00:41:32,405
Speaker 1: navigating the pressures of finishing off the biggest film franchise

711
00:41:32,525 --> 00:41:38,405
Speaker 1: in history. Well yeah, so, yeah, So I'm very grateful

712
00:41:39,005 --> 00:41:43,765
Speaker 1: for who they are that day and this day. They

713
00:41:43,845 --> 00:41:48,765
Speaker 1: are amazing human beings that carry the torch of what

714
00:41:48,885 --> 00:41:51,525
Speaker 1: they were part of and will do for the rest

715
00:41:51,605 --> 00:41:52,165
Speaker 1: of their life.

716
00:41:52,405 --> 00:41:58,285
Speaker 3: It's interesting because you're talking about people who had a

717
00:41:58,485 --> 00:42:03,285
Speaker 3: constancy to them and showed bravery for you as you

718
00:42:03,485 --> 00:42:05,605
Speaker 3: said when you needed it, as you had tried to

719
00:42:05,725 --> 00:42:09,485
Speaker 3: show in your role for them. But watching the DOCI

720
00:42:09,605 --> 00:42:14,005
Speaker 3: entry in particular, what I was so struck by was

721
00:42:14,045 --> 00:42:18,645
Speaker 3: the relationship with you and Greg Powell, who got you

722
00:42:18,845 --> 00:42:22,245
Speaker 3: into who was a father figure to you when you

723
00:42:22,405 --> 00:42:24,045
Speaker 3: were a young stunty, who.

724
00:42:24,005 --> 00:42:24,845
Speaker 2: Was my film father.

725
00:42:25,085 --> 00:42:28,365
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, he was one of the men, like my

726
00:42:28,485 --> 00:42:32,365
Speaker 1: gymnastics coaches, that helped me and loved me to be

727
00:42:32,525 --> 00:42:35,245
Speaker 1: the man that I am. And despite the fact and

728
00:42:35,605 --> 00:42:39,165
Speaker 1: our relationship like had what happened to me in it,

729
00:42:40,085 --> 00:42:42,565
Speaker 1: I still love him like deaddy and look up to

730
00:42:42,685 --> 00:42:44,885
Speaker 1: him and aspire.

731
00:42:44,725 --> 00:42:47,485
Speaker 2: To always make him proud.

732
00:42:48,885 --> 00:42:53,165
Speaker 1: And there are worse things to have in your life

733
00:42:53,285 --> 00:42:58,325
Speaker 1: than good men that will always.

734
00:42:59,445 --> 00:43:00,925
Speaker 2: Have your back, you know what I mean?

735
00:43:01,245 --> 00:43:04,805
Speaker 3: It was it was knowing what the nature of your

736
00:43:05,325 --> 00:43:09,525
Speaker 3: relationship had been, and how paternal and beautiful and us

737
00:43:09,765 --> 00:43:12,205
Speaker 3: it was how he guided you through those stunts and

738
00:43:12,565 --> 00:43:16,005
Speaker 3: had such a deep love for you. And then he

739
00:43:16,205 --> 00:43:20,685
Speaker 3: said he was the last person to hold you when

740
00:43:20,725 --> 00:43:23,605
Speaker 3: you could walk, and he was the first person to

741
00:43:23,725 --> 00:43:25,165
Speaker 3: hold you when you couldn't walk.

742
00:43:25,965 --> 00:43:29,965
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, messed up so and.

743
00:43:30,085 --> 00:43:32,205
Speaker 3: He can't he can't handle it though.

744
00:43:32,685 --> 00:43:35,925
Speaker 1: No, I know, because that's that generation of men that

745
00:43:36,645 --> 00:43:41,165
Speaker 1: would bottle up emotion instead of being able to articulate it.

746
00:43:41,805 --> 00:43:46,245
Speaker 1: And as we are, I mean, there's a push now

747
00:43:46,845 --> 00:43:50,365
Speaker 1: for that idea of masculinity to come back a little bit.

748
00:43:50,645 --> 00:43:54,525
Speaker 3: And there is a point of Gars smoking. He's a

749
00:43:54,565 --> 00:43:55,885
Speaker 3: cigar smoker.

750
00:43:55,885 --> 00:44:00,285
Speaker 1: The Gars smoking, tony soprano, bad boy, gangster because of

751
00:44:01,205 --> 00:44:04,445
Speaker 1: his background. You know, his dad was a you know,

752
00:44:05,405 --> 00:44:09,325
Speaker 1: an unlicensed boxer and then licensed boxer and then celebrity.

753
00:44:09,365 --> 00:44:12,645
Speaker 2: He's some man and navigated some of the criminal.

754
00:44:12,405 --> 00:44:17,405
Speaker 1: Underworld in London and all of those things that make

755
00:44:17,605 --> 00:44:20,445
Speaker 1: him the man that he is and the life lessons

756
00:44:20,485 --> 00:44:23,045
Speaker 1: that make him the man that he is. But I

757
00:44:23,165 --> 00:44:26,525
Speaker 1: always take it back to we're all children, ones, right,

758
00:44:26,685 --> 00:44:29,485
Speaker 1: And if Greg and me were in a playground and

759
00:44:29,645 --> 00:44:34,285
Speaker 1: he accidentally knocked me over and I was crying and

760
00:44:34,525 --> 00:44:39,845
Speaker 1: then he got upset and me getting upset, then I

761
00:44:39,885 --> 00:44:43,565
Speaker 1: would want to comfort that child, you know what I mean,

762
00:44:45,245 --> 00:44:48,045
Speaker 1: so we will remember that we're all babies.

763
00:44:48,125 --> 00:44:54,085
Speaker 3: Ones. I find that your capacity to understand that incredible.

764
00:44:54,725 --> 00:44:59,525
Speaker 3: Thanks me, I really do, because it seems sometimes that

765
00:44:59,725 --> 00:45:01,685
Speaker 3: I think when you're in the situation that you're in,

766
00:45:01,805 --> 00:45:05,365
Speaker 3: aw I had a son who was bravely ill with leukemia,

767
00:45:05,885 --> 00:45:09,445
Speaker 3: and sometimes you find yourself cast in the role of

768
00:45:09,565 --> 00:45:12,085
Speaker 3: not only having to deal with the shiitthand that you've

769
00:45:12,125 --> 00:45:18,485
Speaker 3: been dealt, but also comforting the people around you. How

770
00:45:19,245 --> 00:45:20,205
Speaker 3: is that pressure?

771
00:45:20,965 --> 00:45:27,085
Speaker 1: It's can either embrace or you can try and run

772
00:45:27,125 --> 00:45:28,845
Speaker 1: away from it very head in this ad. But the

773
00:45:28,925 --> 00:45:31,205
Speaker 1: problem is still going to be that, you know what

774
00:45:31,285 --> 00:45:34,405
Speaker 1: I mean, Like, there's only so much avoidance. We will

775
00:45:34,445 --> 00:45:37,405
Speaker 1: go for our life trying to run away from pain,

776
00:45:38,365 --> 00:45:40,845
Speaker 1: but it's inevitable if your archae or not.

777
00:45:42,205 --> 00:45:43,165
Speaker 2: So you can.

778
00:45:44,765 --> 00:45:49,525
Speaker 1: Share your see others share your pain and come to

779
00:45:49,605 --> 00:45:52,645
Speaker 1: an understanding that you can work as a team to

780
00:45:52,725 --> 00:45:58,205
Speaker 1: get through it. Or you can't take someone's pain away

781
00:45:58,285 --> 00:46:01,965
Speaker 1: from them, but you can be there for them when

782
00:46:02,005 --> 00:46:04,245
Speaker 1: they're going through it, you know what I mean, Like

783
00:46:04,525 --> 00:46:07,645
Speaker 1: your son, you couldn't take that away from it. You know,

784
00:46:08,005 --> 00:46:12,045
Speaker 1: you are fighting your own voldemont in your family, your

785
00:46:12,085 --> 00:46:13,965
Speaker 1: own demon, and you couldn't stot it.

786
00:46:14,325 --> 00:46:17,005
Speaker 2: But you could just be.

787
00:46:18,605 --> 00:46:24,445
Speaker 1: And like as a mum should I say, it's your job,

788
00:46:24,485 --> 00:46:28,605
Speaker 1: It's not, it's you. It's your blessing.

789
00:46:29,405 --> 00:46:30,045
Speaker 2: That's what it is.

790
00:46:30,085 --> 00:46:32,525
Speaker 1: It's your blessing to be able to do that. It's

791
00:46:32,565 --> 00:46:35,725
Speaker 1: a blessing to be able to hold someone's hand when

792
00:46:35,765 --> 00:46:37,085
Speaker 1: they're going through something.

793
00:46:37,365 --> 00:46:39,645
Speaker 3: Sometimes it's a really painful blessing.

794
00:46:40,765 --> 00:46:45,405
Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, But nothing's free in life, right, nothing? No,

795
00:46:45,805 --> 00:46:49,645
Speaker 1: nothing's for free. No, not in any like there's no

796
00:46:49,965 --> 00:46:54,205
Speaker 1: free mills. You know, we sit there reading stories about

797
00:46:54,285 --> 00:46:58,045
Speaker 1: horrendous things on these digital devices, going oh, that's shocking,

798
00:46:58,125 --> 00:47:00,805
Speaker 1: And then you've got realized that the digital device that's

799
00:47:00,885 --> 00:47:04,925
Speaker 1: in your hand is built and mind through people that

800
00:47:05,005 --> 00:47:07,365
Speaker 1: are working in horendous circumstances.

801
00:47:08,205 --> 00:47:12,925
Speaker 2: So you know, there's always a contradiction. Nothing is for free.

802
00:47:13,725 --> 00:47:16,485
Speaker 3: How futuristically do you think for yourself?

803
00:47:16,605 --> 00:47:16,765
Speaker 1: Now?

804
00:47:18,285 --> 00:47:20,485
Speaker 2: Try not to. I have to because I have to

805
00:47:20,565 --> 00:47:21,525
Speaker 2: navigate my life with.

806
00:47:23,165 --> 00:47:25,965
Speaker 1: A relationship with my partner and hurricane teams and just

807
00:47:26,165 --> 00:47:29,405
Speaker 1: trying to get together in a relationship that's three hundred

808
00:47:29,445 --> 00:47:34,925
Speaker 1: miles apart, and booking podcasts and writing books and going

809
00:47:35,005 --> 00:47:38,725
Speaker 1: on holiday and so I have to try and playing

810
00:47:38,765 --> 00:47:42,605
Speaker 1: ahead as much as possible. But the more you put

811
00:47:42,725 --> 00:47:45,805
Speaker 1: in front of it, the more present you can be

812
00:47:46,045 --> 00:47:49,645
Speaker 1: in the moment, you know what I mean. So this morning,

813
00:47:49,765 --> 00:47:53,605
Speaker 1: whilst I was playing puppeteer on the toilet sea while

814
00:47:53,725 --> 00:47:57,165
Speaker 1: playing with the puppet. I should say I was just

815
00:47:57,245 --> 00:47:59,565
Speaker 1: having to think of what did I want to share

816
00:47:59,645 --> 00:48:02,485
Speaker 1: with you today. You know this is a no filter podcast.

817
00:48:02,645 --> 00:48:05,245
Speaker 1: I wanted to share that story on the fact that

818
00:48:06,005 --> 00:48:09,725
Speaker 1: me and Rosie had two quadriplegics having the best sex life,

819
00:48:10,165 --> 00:48:13,965
Speaker 1: So there is hope that you haven't lost that sexual relationship.

820
00:48:14,605 --> 00:48:19,245
Speaker 3: Do you feel differently us having this conversation now than

821
00:48:19,285 --> 00:48:22,045
Speaker 3: you would have had before you met Rosie because there

822
00:48:22,165 --> 00:48:24,805
Speaker 3: was a period in your life that was yeah.

823
00:48:24,965 --> 00:48:31,765
Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely yeah. I didn't think that was on my journey.

824
00:48:32,525 --> 00:48:37,045
Speaker 1: I didn't think that sharing life and love outside of

825
00:48:37,245 --> 00:48:41,165
Speaker 1: my support network and friends was on my journey. But

826
00:48:41,725 --> 00:48:44,765
Speaker 1: in that song that I recommend to your lovely producer, Grace,

827
00:48:45,685 --> 00:48:48,765
Speaker 1: the song was by k Tempest and the song is

828
00:48:48,845 --> 00:48:51,725
Speaker 1: called Grace, and in it there's a line that said,

829
00:48:51,765 --> 00:48:55,965
Speaker 1: when I stopped looking for me, I found you, and

830
00:48:56,125 --> 00:48:59,245
Speaker 1: that for us, the two of us, we're constantly looking

831
00:48:59,405 --> 00:49:02,845
Speaker 1: for ourselves with living with a spinal cord injury. How

832
00:49:02,965 --> 00:49:05,885
Speaker 1: am I going to get through the hudhips today? How

833
00:49:05,925 --> 00:49:08,125
Speaker 1: am I going to navigate? Someone get me out of it?

834
00:49:08,405 --> 00:49:12,005
Speaker 1: Someone else with me goes toilet, someone helping me eat someone.

835
00:49:12,125 --> 00:49:16,405
Speaker 2: You know. But when you yield to all of that,

836
00:49:17,245 --> 00:49:20,325
Speaker 2: and yield to those pressures and yield to who am

837
00:49:20,405 --> 00:49:22,765
Speaker 2: I now? I've got a broken neck and my listener.

838
00:49:23,045 --> 00:49:26,165
Speaker 2: When you just let go of all that, then you

839
00:49:26,645 --> 00:49:30,765
Speaker 2: can embrace the gift of life. So the gift of

840
00:49:31,445 --> 00:49:35,885
Speaker 2: my life now is my rosing, and I'm very very grateful.

841
00:49:35,965 --> 00:49:39,085
Speaker 2: I love it dearly, and despite how hard it is

842
00:49:39,165 --> 00:49:44,365
Speaker 2: for both of us, it's the most beautiful spiritual thing

843
00:49:44,725 --> 00:49:48,285
Speaker 2: that I've experienced. And I grew up in a church

844
00:49:48,325 --> 00:49:53,125
Speaker 2: and my dad's a Baptist, so a Baptist minister, not

845
00:49:53,245 --> 00:49:55,405
Speaker 2: a full time minister. He's just a deacon.

846
00:49:55,885 --> 00:49:58,205
Speaker 1: So he has faith and he turns the scripture to

847
00:49:58,245 --> 00:50:01,685
Speaker 1: help him navigate his mental health. I have to hold

848
00:50:01,725 --> 00:50:04,485
Speaker 1: my breath underwater and do meditation for as long as possible.

849
00:50:05,045 --> 00:50:06,765
Speaker 3: Are you vevim halffing? Ah?

850
00:50:06,925 --> 00:50:10,925
Speaker 1: Yeah, well I do, because breaming speed swallows on my radar.

851
00:50:11,165 --> 00:50:12,965
Speaker 1: I'm not just going to sit in that that happen.

852
00:50:13,405 --> 00:50:16,845
Speaker 1: So I do breath work, breathwork in a fifty degree

853
00:50:16,845 --> 00:50:20,445
Speaker 1: stem room every morning and every evening, and then in

854
00:50:21,005 --> 00:50:23,645
Speaker 1: twenty minutes, my physio turns up and I'm going to

855
00:50:23,685 --> 00:50:25,765
Speaker 1: sit at the bottom of my swimming pool. I sit

856
00:50:25,845 --> 00:50:28,765
Speaker 1: on a scuba bowl, and I will breathe and then

857
00:50:28,885 --> 00:50:32,565
Speaker 1: hold my breath for as long as physically possible. Now,

858
00:50:32,725 --> 00:50:36,085
Speaker 1: being that I have no intercostal muscles whatsoever, and I

859
00:50:36,165 --> 00:50:39,485
Speaker 1: only breathe from my diaphragm, you might be amazed that

860
00:50:39,645 --> 00:50:41,965
Speaker 1: my record's four minutes and twenty five seconds.

861
00:50:42,365 --> 00:50:42,605
Speaker 3: Wow.

862
00:50:43,365 --> 00:50:44,605
Speaker 2: Yeah, because my brains.

863
00:50:44,765 --> 00:50:45,485
Speaker 3: I am amazed.

864
00:50:45,685 --> 00:50:49,485
Speaker 2: Yeah, my brain is. Part of my brain's going you're

865
00:50:49,485 --> 00:50:51,685
Speaker 2: not breathing, You're not breathing, you're not breathing, And the

866
00:50:51,765 --> 00:50:54,965
Speaker 2: other part of me goes, I got you. You know,

867
00:50:56,445 --> 00:50:57,165
Speaker 2: you know I got this.

868
00:50:57,645 --> 00:50:58,805
Speaker 3: That's the stunt man.

869
00:50:59,005 --> 00:50:59,845
Speaker 2: That's the stummail.

870
00:51:00,165 --> 00:51:00,405
Speaker 3: Yeah.

871
00:51:01,205 --> 00:51:04,205
Speaker 1: Today, I'm aiming to get past four minutes, and there

872
00:51:04,285 --> 00:51:06,485
Speaker 1: is not a world record set for a quintia bleeding,

873
00:51:06,645 --> 00:51:08,165
Speaker 1: So I think I'm going to push.

874
00:51:08,005 --> 00:51:09,085
Speaker 2: For a world record this year.

875
00:51:09,485 --> 00:51:10,325
Speaker 3: There's always a goal.

876
00:51:10,725 --> 00:51:13,205
Speaker 2: At least that one. Yeah, at least give someone something

877
00:51:13,245 --> 00:51:15,405
Speaker 2: to aim for. That's like me, you know what I mean.

878
00:51:15,965 --> 00:51:21,685
Speaker 3: Dave Holmes, Yeah, thank you for sharing yourself so much.

879
00:51:21,805 --> 00:51:25,525
Speaker 3: I think you've really taken no filter to another definition.

880
00:51:26,125 --> 00:51:29,725
Speaker 1: Yeah, of course, man, it's yeah, we get one chance.

881
00:51:29,965 --> 00:51:33,365
Speaker 1: In life to and the best thing he's sharing, I think,

882
00:51:33,925 --> 00:51:39,085
Speaker 1: to share the experience of being a dumb monkey on

883
00:51:39,165 --> 00:51:42,605
Speaker 1: a rock, spinning through space with a load of other

884
00:51:42,805 --> 00:51:44,725
Speaker 1: dumb monkeys on a rock, you know what I mean.

885
00:51:45,045 --> 00:51:48,125
Speaker 2: And yeah, it's like I get.

886
00:51:48,005 --> 00:51:50,165
Speaker 1: To do that with a broken neck, and there'll be

887
00:51:50,285 --> 00:51:54,085
Speaker 1: a generation of people behind me that have a spinal

888
00:51:54,165 --> 00:51:57,405
Speaker 1: cord injury that will be like that lost little boy

889
00:51:57,485 --> 00:52:00,605
Speaker 1: that I was in hospital feeling like hope is all gone.

890
00:52:00,885 --> 00:52:04,285
Speaker 1: And then maybe, just maybe they might find my journey

891
00:52:04,325 --> 00:52:06,245
Speaker 1: in my story and it might give them hope.

892
00:52:06,365 --> 00:52:10,565
Speaker 3: So you're not only the boy who lived, You're the

893
00:52:10,645 --> 00:52:12,045
Speaker 3: boy who.

894
00:52:12,125 --> 00:52:17,405
Speaker 1: Is living always yeah, always yeah, embrace the day, Carpe

895
00:52:17,525 --> 00:52:21,445
Speaker 1: dim and all that jazz, yeah and all else fowls.

896
00:52:21,445 --> 00:52:23,125
Speaker 1: You could just row a few fucks to the wind,

897
00:52:24,285 --> 00:52:28,285
Speaker 1: and you know what I mean, Yeah, what are you

898
00:52:28,325 --> 00:52:30,005
Speaker 1: going to do? Is the pride of our life?

899
00:52:30,045 --> 00:52:32,685
Speaker 2: Why you're just going to take it and get the

900
00:52:32,765 --> 00:52:33,325
Speaker 2: best out of it.

901
00:52:33,725 --> 00:52:35,445
Speaker 3: My son was right, You're a legend.

902
00:52:36,005 --> 00:52:37,045
Speaker 2: Oh, thanks very much.

903
00:52:40,405 --> 00:52:44,805
Speaker 3: I don't know what I thought I was expecting before

904
00:52:44,845 --> 00:52:48,045
Speaker 3: I spoke to David Holmes. When you know that you're

905
00:52:48,045 --> 00:52:51,045
Speaker 3: going to meet someone whose life has been identified by

906
00:52:51,125 --> 00:52:54,125
Speaker 3: their physical prowess, and they've had it all taken away

907
00:52:54,205 --> 00:52:57,965
Speaker 3: from them. It would be easy to expect a person

908
00:52:58,125 --> 00:53:03,405
Speaker 3: who is dour, or embittered or angry, and David Holmes

909
00:53:03,645 --> 00:53:08,365
Speaker 3: is none of those. He's uplifting, he brings joy. He's

910
00:53:08,445 --> 00:53:11,885
Speaker 3: quite brilliant, and if you'd like to read David's book

911
00:53:12,125 --> 00:53:15,365
Speaker 3: or watch his documentary, we pop links in the show notes.

912
00:53:16,005 --> 00:53:19,165
Speaker 3: The executive producer of No Filter is Nama Brown and

913
00:53:19,245 --> 00:53:22,965
Speaker 3: the senior producer is Grace Rufree. Audio production is by

914
00:53:23,045 --> 00:53:25,885
Speaker 3: Jacob Brown and I'm your host, Kate Lanebrook. Thank you

915
00:53:26,325 --> 00:53:26,885
Speaker 3: for listening.