Liadán Hynes

When you have a difference, adapting to situations is a skill that you learn from a very young age. So when things happen now, and there might be a bit of panic, I’m able to think outside the box a lot more easily than other people because I have learned there is always more than one way of doing something.

I do things for me, and I am comfortable in my own individuality.

Ever since I have learned to embrace my arm and my body, I’ve made it my mission to put myself out there as much as possible, and to try and be a role model, to be that person for

. I hope that my story told here validates what you are feeling, and that this book is a place for you to turn to when you’re feeling alone or conflicted. Hopefully you will be able to find something within these pages that might help set you on the right path.

I know how bad the demons in your head can get, how paralysing thoughts can be, how you might not even recognise the extent of the negative self-talk you’re subjecting yourself to. I want to highlight the power of the negative,

but also of the positive things you can say to yourself. And to look at all the things that are in your control which you can do to make yourself feel better, the pillars of your life that will help you to love yourself.

It was a slow process and there were a lot of factors involved. I went on a journey to accept my body, learning to accept myself, even discovering that I don’t always have the answer, and that maybe I still have my own work to do on myself. It is an ongoing process.

It was a slow process and there were a lot of factors involved. I went on a journey to accept my body, learning to accept myself, even discovering that I don’t always have the answer, and that maybe I still have my own work to do on myself. It is an ongoing process

This book is a way of explaining how I got from feeling alone and isolated because of my difference to feeling like it is the best thing about me, my superpower

But it will also show the reality of my journey, because it’s not like it happened overnight. There were so many highs – my gold medal, my time on Dancing with the Stars – but also, as you will see, so many lows