The 'bionic bishop' who broke every bone in his face

Facing the future: The Right Reverend Christopher Chessun in Southwark Cathedral

"I think it made me look very differently at life... at what really matters... the importance of one's health and wellbeing, not taking it for granted... and to value each moment."

I'm sitting in Southwark Cathedral with its bishop, the Right Reverend Christopher Chessun, as he reflects on the night that changed his life.

Last September, the taxi he was travelling in came to an abrupt halt - he didn't. He smashed his face against the taxi, breaking every bone in his face apart from his lower jaw.

"I had no face after the accident," he tells me. "The injuries were extensive, I wasn't aware of them at the time, I was just aware of my face crumbling."

'Cornflake face'

The Rt Rev Chessun was rushed to St Thomas' Hospital, then to a specialist maxillofacial trauma team at King's College Hospital in Denmark Hill, south-east London.

Heading the team that night was Professor Kathy Fan. The bishop remembers their first conversation.

"She said 'Your face is cornflakes' but she said my airbag had protected my skull, my brain and my neck. She said 'It's my job to put it back together'... and that's what she set out to do."

The X-ray of Bishop Chessun's injuries show how severe they were

Professor Fan told him she wanted to make the repairs in one long operation - it would be complicated but she had one aim in mind.

"She told me: 'When I do it, I don't want people staring at you and thinking what's different? I want them to listen to what you're saying because you're a bishop'.

"So again there was that massive sense of trust, confidence, the skill, expertise, the wisdom, the experience... all those things came into play and it took away that sense of trauma for me."

'Face is identity'

Professor Fan told the BBC both eye sockets were damaged, his entire left cheekbone had dropped and "entire upper jaw was hanging loose". Most of the bones on his face were broken.

She was keen to get the bishop back working again before the busy Christmas period and praised the efforts of the whole team.

She said: "I have a pretty amazing job. I always think it's a real privilege to work on people's faces: people trust us.

"We have the ability to try and put people back when they've been unfortunate enough to be injured.

"Our face is our identity - people look at us and make judgment about us so it's important to recreate someone's identity."

Professor Kathy Fan from King's College Hospital carried out the operation

There were moments when Bishop Chessun wondered if he'd be able to return to work, but three months later, just before Christmas, he was back at Southwark Cathedral.

His face is held together with numerous pins and plates - I ask if he considers himself to be the 'bionic bishop'.

"Something like that, I think I am", he laughs, and recalls a recent trip to the Holy Land when he feared his face might set of the airport scanners. It didn't.

Bishop Chessun in front of Hodge, the cathedral cat

Nine months on, he is nearly fully recovered and can't praise the medical teams who gave him back his face enough.

"People look at your face - this is how they make contact with you - so your facial identity is a crucial part of things.

"I think that sense of being supported by the prayers of those in my diocese, those who knew me, those who cared for me, made an enormous difference.

"I think not just to morale but to confidence and sense of wellbeing. I had an underlying feeling that all would be well."