Paralympic medallist Jonnie Peacock on Strictly Come Dancing: I always relish a challenge
SINCE losing his leg to meningitis, Jonnie Peacock has taken great pleasure in proving the doubters wrong.
Such a cruel blow when he was five years old could have ruined his life.
Instead, it instilled a determination that took him all the way to the top of the podium at the London Paralympics.
And now, just when you thought Jonnie had achieved all his goals, the 24-year-old has set himself another mountain to climb. He has been unveiled as the first disabled competitor to take part in Strictly Come Dancing.
The BBC show is renowned for a punishing training schedule and the physical demands the moves place on inexperienced dancers.
There is a long history of ankle sprains, muscle pulls, infections and old injuries flaring up. However, anyone wondering about the ability of this amputee to go the distance only needs to look at Jonnie's background.
Born in Cambridgeshire in 1993, he is the fourth child of Linda Roberts and her exhusband Chris. With three older sisters Jonnie soon learned how to stand up for himself but a normal upbringing was shattered in 1998.
Jonnie Peacock sets sights on retaining World Championship title
He developed a high temperature followed by a bright purple rash and, wrapped in his favourite Power Rangers duvet, was rushed to Addenbrooke's Hospital.
Meningitis was diagnosed and Jonnie's family was told to prepare for the worst as the little boy was placed in an induced coma.
Linda says: "A doctor told me his chances were incredibly slim and I should say goodbye. I told Jonnie: 'You fight this, I love you.' I sobbed thinking they could be the last words I would say to him."
Jonnie was unconscious for a week before pulling through but there was an awful price to pay. Blood poisoning caused by the illness meant his right leg had to be amputated below the knee.
Jonnie did not really understand what was going on and screamed when he first saw the empty space where his lower leg had been. At first he refused to even look at his mother, blaming her for what had happened.
But the fitting of a prosthetic leg six months later was the turning point. Slowly Jonnie became his old self.
Photos show him learning to ride a bike not long after getting the artificial limb, which had another benefit: Linda describes how she used to tick him off for using it as a weapon to attack annoying older sisters.
At the time Linda used to give her son piggyback rides when the prosthetic leg rubbed painfully against his stump.
Yet, although he was still learning to walk again Jonnie was soon asking if he could take part in a school sports day.
"There was no stopping him," says Linda, who asked the head teacher to arrange a hopping race. She was left feeling embarrassed when Jonnie left the other children trailing.
He was sports mad and meeting David Beckham in 2000 gave Jonnie the spur to strive for the top.
In 2008, when he was 15 years old, he attended a talent spotting day for aspiring Paralympians.
Jonnie found himself in demand for both athletics and wheelchair tennis, opting for running. He was selected for the Great Britain team and it was soon obvious that a new star of the track had been found.
Two years later he broke the world record for the 100 metres T44 class in which athletes who have lost a limb below the knee run with a blade, in a time of 10.85 seconds.
The pinnacle was a gold medal at the 2012 Paralympics in front of 80,000 people in London. Linda says: "The world may have seen a champion but I saw a little boy who shouldn't be here."
It has not all been plain sailing however and in 2015 he was forced to pull out of the world championships due to a sore on his stump.
Thankfully he was fit to successfully defend his Olympic title in Rio last year. His current best time is 10.64 and he recently added another world championship gold to his haul.
Speaking about the loss of his leg Jonnie has said: "I think it affected my mum far more than me.
Of course I'm the one walking around with one leg but I have an OK life. Every amputee has problems. It is not how the body is meant to be. You deal with it as best you can."
Jonnie, who was awarded an MBE in 2013, admits that by competing in Strictly alongside Ruth Langsford, singer Mollie King and Debbie McGee he is stepping out of his comfort zone.
His dancing experience so far is limited to birthday parties but Jonnie, who is dating fellow Paralympian Sally Brown, says: "The opportunity to become the first contestant with a disability to take part was too good to turn down. I can't wait to see what I can achieve and how far I can push myself."
He won't be the first celebrity novice dancer to bite off more than they can chew, so is Strictly finally a stride too far for the inspiring Jonnie Peacock? History suggests he is made of sterner stuff.