Billy Monger, 25, was weeks shy of his 18th birthday when he lost both his legs in a horrifying accident.
Billy was involved in a terrifying car crash that subsequently caused him to have both his limbs amputated. And, in a rare insight into his condition, he previously admitted that “learning to walk again was frustrating”.
Billy recently joined Melanie Blatt, Alex Beresford and Harry Judd for the epic 10,000km journey on Celebrity Race Across The World. Brits will have also seen him on screen as part of the BBC’s presenting team for the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
Now, after previously raising £3m for Comic Relief, he’s back to take on a new challenge…
How Billy Monger lost his legs
Double amputee Billy tragically lost both his legs in a horrific crash at Donington Park. In April 2017 – just weeks before his 18th birthday – he was critically injured in a collision. Billy almost died after crashing at high speed into the back of Finnish driver Patrik Pasma. Patrick was not seriously injured in the crash. It took crew 90 minutes to cut Billy free from the car.
His injuries were so catastrophic that both of his legs had to be amputated, one below and the other above the knee. His left leg was amputated high above the knee, leaving him with a short stump of his thigh. Billy’s right leg is longer, being amputated below the knee. The extra length and use of the joint enables him to drive modified cars.
The accident triggered one of the fastest-growing JustGiving campaigns in history, with nearly 20,000 people, including Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, donating more than £800,000 to help with Billy’s rehabilitation.
After treatment and therapy, he returned to competing in November 2017. In 2018, he won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity.
In 2021, Surrey-born Billy Monger completed Billy’s Big Challenge, covering a distance of 140 miles (230km) by walking, kayaking and cycling. He raised over £3 million for Comic Relief.
‘Learning to walk again was frustrating’
Talking about his accident, Billy said: “Racing is a dangerous sport, and I knew that as a driver before, but obviously you don’t expect that to happen.”
His ultimate goal, as it was before he lost his legs, is to race in Formula One. He now says: “I am an amputee – that’s just a fact. But I don’t really like using the term ‘disabled’. If I’m able to do it, I’ll do it. I’ve got a blue badge for parking, but that’s about as far as it goes. Though my parents normally try to nick it off me.”
Talking about his recovery, he added: “I want to get everything done quickly, so learning to walk again was frustrating. I dreaded it [swimming]. Not only was I in a wheelchair and everything was on show, but they had to crane me into the pool.”
However, he’s now “mentally a lot stronger than I was before”. “Racing used to be my life, and if I didn’t get really good results, it would be the end of the world and I’d get really down about it. Now, though I’m still focused on winning, I know there are more important things.”
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Billy’s 2025 Comic Relief challenge
Tonight (March 19), Billy is on screen in the BBC’s Billy Monger: The Race is on for Comic Relief.
The show, on BBC One at 9pm, sees Billy take on an endurance Iron Man competition in Kona, Hawaii to raise money for life-changing Comic Relief-funded projects.
The challenge pushes him to new depths as he takes on a two-and-a-half mile swim in the deep ocean followed by a 112 mile bike ride and culminating in a full marathon in extreme heat, wind and rain.
You can support Billy by donating here.
Read more: Inside Billy Monger’s inspiring journey following tragedy which saw his life changed forever
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