Monique’s near-death dive - ‘I TURNED TRAGEDY INTO SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL’

The top athlete recalls the day her world came crashing down and how she put the trauma behind her

- Kasia Jillings

British Olympic diver Monique Gladding used to live for the sport – until the day she almost lost her life during a competition.

As she somersaulted into the air, spectators watched in disbelief as Monique’s head struck the concrete diving board with great force, instantly knocking her unconscious before she plummeted 10 metres into the pool below.

Amazingly, she survived the horror incident – after being pulled unresponsive from the bottom of the pool – and defied the odds to return to the sport and compete at the London Olympics 18 months later.

Looking back on the day she almost died, Monique says the accident and its aftermath have taught her how to persevere in the face of adversity.

It’s an attitude that’s served her well in recent years as she’s juggled becoming a mother, moving to New Zealand and caring for her young daughter Sienna through a shock cancer diagnosis and treatment – all while starting her own business, skincare range @One Organics.

“It’s been so intense, but my experiences equipped me with the tools to handle it,” shares Monique, 41, who first tried diving as a teenager after a knee injury cut her gymnastics career short.

At 19, she moved from her native South Africa to the UK to pursue her professional diving dreams.