IN HER STRIDE

Twenty years after winning double gold at the Athens Olympics, Dame Kelly Holmes tells us why age won't slow her down

- MELANIE MACLEOD

Dame Kelly Holmes began her career in the army, where she is now an honorary colonel, and went on to become one of the most popular and successful athletes this country has ever produced.

A double Olympic middle-distance champion, she was awarded a damehood in 2005, the same year she retired from sport.

Since then, the 54-year-old Loose Women panelist has published her autobiography, Unique: A Memoir, set up the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust and become a busy motivational speaker, sharing the importance of physical activity for people's well-being and mental health.

"I don't want to stop," she says.

"I want women to know they can get more from themselves post-40 and be fitter and happier rather than go the opposite way.