James Cracknell, two-times Olympic gold medallist who suffered a serious brain injury two years ago when knocked off his bike, has spoken out about how his life has changed since the accident.
Cracknell, 40, is married to Beverley, a TV presenter, and they have three children together, one of which has been born since he was knocked off his bike by a petrol tanker in Arizona. While acknowledging that he was lucky to survive the accident – which caused bleeding within and around his brain and probably would have killed him without the cycling helmet he was wearing that was smashed in two – he said the hard work really started when he left hospital, and had to start rebuilding relationships. With a loss of memory skills, irrational behaviour, tiredness and quick to anger, Cracknell admits it has been tough for his family.
James’s recovery is still on-going, so competing in the London 2012 Olympics, which start this weekend, was not an option, but he will be part of the commentating team, and he counts his blessings he can be there for that.
