Billy Monger reveals why he 'struggled' with being called an inspiration
Billy Monger "struggled" with initially being called an inspiration, but he's "slowly realised" the "privilege" of being a role model.
Billy Monger initially "struggled" with the "pressure" of being called an inspiration.
The 26-year-old former Formula 4 racing driver lost his legs following a high-speed crash at Donington Park in April 2017, and after getting treatment and attending therapy sessions following the ordeal, Billy returned to competition in November 2017.
Billy won the coveted BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award for Outstanding Achievement In The Face Of Adversity in 2018, but he initially struggled to live with his role model status.
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz at the FEVO Sport Industry Awards 2025 at Evolution London, Billy explained: "I think for me, after my accident, it was something that I really struggled to do because it’s a lot of pressure and responsibility to get called an inspiration, and for me, I felt like the same person that I was before my accident.
"I think I've slowly realised that it's a privilege, and that I’m trying to make the most of the opportunity that people do see me as a role model, to actually live up to their expectations and just live the best possible life and inspire people wherever I can."
The former 'Strictly Come Dancing' contestant smashed the Ironman - a long-course triathlon - record for a double amputee at the World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, in aid of Comic Relief in 2024.
Billy completed the mammoth challenge - which included a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile cycle and a 26.2-mile run - in 14 hours 23 minutes 56 seconds, which is over two hours inside the previous record.
And becoming a world record holder has made Billy realise that he is "capable of maybe even more" than he ever imagined.
The 'Celebrity Race Across The World' star - who is currently training to be a Para-Triathlete at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games - admitted: "When I started, I didn't know whether it would be possible. So, to break the world record and to break it by over two hours, it blew my expectations out of the water, and it just made me realise that I'm capable of great things."
