Our INSPIRATIONAL mums!

When it came to choosing a career path, these women followed in their mothers’ footsteps

- FRANCESCA WOODSTOCK & TRACY GAYTON & ASHLEIGH PAGE

‘MUM TAUGHT ME ALL HER TRICKS’

Megan Christian, 22, from Sittingbourne, Kent, joined the circus like her mum, Beverley, 60. 

Growing up, I loved hearing stories about times gone by. My grandad, Chris Christian, ran away to join the circus in the 1950s, aged just 14. He became a well-known ringmaster and fell in love with a dancer – my gran, Wendy. They had my mum, Beverley, who became an aerial acrobat. By the time I was born, in 2001, Mum, then 37, had retired.

She showed me pictures and took me to shows starring my uncles and cousins. It was mesmerising – and I knew I wanted to be part of it.

But it wasn’t until after college that I started working on my own act with a trapeze – a bar that hangs high from the rafters. When Mum offered to train me up, I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor. I learned how to hang gracefully and perform stunts. It felt exhilarating.

When I was 17, a family friend, Ernest Santus, offered me a place in the Santus Circus. Doing my act twice a day, 18ft in the air, gave me such a rush. Even though it was dangerous, I always felt comfortable and, thanks to Mum’s training, I executed every move perfectly. Mum came to watch most of my shows and always looked on proudly – it felt like we shared a special bond.

‘It felt like a special bond’