Former model takes to catwalk in wheelchair for the first time

"I'm going to be thinking, 'Do not fall off the edge.' That worry doesn't change whether you're in a wheelchair or on your legs."

Gemma Flanagan's used to people looking at her.

Before being diagnosed with an illness that left her unable to walk, she worked as an air hostess and a part-time model.

On Wednesday she'll wheel herself down the catwalk for the first time as she appears at a London fashion event.

The 31-year-old says she's nervous but excited.

"I've done catwalks before so I'm just hoping I can do it the way I used to, rather than worry about the chair.

"I think in one way it's more difficult as you haven't got as much movement in your body and you can't strut or anything like that, but in another way it's easier because I don't have to worry about anything - it's just about me and my face."

Gemma's from Liverpool and before she became ill she worked for British Airways.

She'd also modelled for catalogues and at fashion shows. "I was really fit and healthy and loved dancing," she says.

After a trip to the US in 2011 she noticed a heavy feeling in her legs and tests showed she had Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a serious condition which affects the nervous system.

Gemma spent seven months in rehab trying to learn to speak, write and walk again.

Recently though she says she's found it harder to walk with crutches and has become increasingly reliant on her wheelchair.

"I went through a phase of absolutely hating my body, but now I've learnt to accept it for what it is," she says.

"I'm more lumpy, more bumpy, and nowhere near as toned because of my condition.

"But I genuinely love my body now and I have more confidence than I've ever had.

"Before the illness I worried about what I looked like, but looking back, I think, 'What the hell was I worried about?'

"I now think I had the perfect figure years ago but I was never happy then, never confident."

Gemma thinks there's not enough representation of models who are different in the UK.

She's now involved with the group Models of Diversity which campaigns for the fashion and beauty industries to represent all kinds of diversity.

It's organised the fashion show Gemma will appear in at the Ideal Home Show in London's Olympia.

"When I was in hospital there was nothing in any fashion magazines to relate to - no-one I could empathise with," says Gemma.

"If people can see there are people in wheelchairs or others who look a bit different it will help them realise they can do whatever they want to."

"When I got ill they were hoping I'd make a full recovery," she says.

"But I've started getting worse again and the consultant thinks this may be the best I'm ever going to be.

Gemma before her illness

"I've been a bit up and down, but now I feel OK mostly.

"I want to show other people they don't need to be defined by their disabilities."

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