Paralympian Made TV Host Who Wears Prosthetic Leg ‘Proud To Be Disabled'

“His attitude to disability is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before.”

A Paralympic hand-cyclist’s spin on having a disability is so refreshing it’s inspiring some in the community.
Alex Zanardi’s self-accepting comments after he won a gold in a Paralympics cycling race inspired a TV host, who has a prosthetic leg, to make a very moving speech about having pride in one’s disability.

On Sept. 14, Alex Zanardi, an Italian Paralympic hand-cyclist, won the gold in a race called the H5 road time trial, a kneeling cycling event for people with disabilities.

Alex Zanardi in action during the first day of para-cycling road in the time trial H5, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
Alex Zanardi in action during the first day of para-cycling road in the time trial H5, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
Pacific Press via Getty Images

Zanardi, a former professional car racer, just happened to win the medal on the day before the 15th year anniversary of a devastating car crash in which he lost both his legs.

“I feel very lucky,” Zanardi told reporters after his win. “I feel my life is a never-ending privilege.”

Alex Zanardi after he won the Paralympic gold medal in the Time trial H5 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sept. 14 2016.
Alex Zanardi after he won the Paralympic gold medal in the Time trial H5 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sept. 14 2016.
NurPhoto via Getty Images

The athlete’s comment touched Alex Brooker, a co-host of the British talk show “The Last Leg,” who was born with hand and arm disabilities, and wears a prosthetic leg.

“His attitude to disability is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before.”

- Alex Brooker on Alex Zanardi, a medal-winning Paralympian

“His attitude to disability is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before,” Brooker said on a Sept. 15 episode of his show, which is featured in the clip above.

Brooker went on to say, holding back tears:

“As a disabled man he inspires me. I’ve overcome a lot of issues with my disability over the years and as I get into later life I’ve got new ones to come: I wonder about how I’m going to cope when I have a child, how’ll I hold my child for the first time? These are things that I think about and I worry about, even though I portray on here I am confident. But to see someone like that talk the way he does, to me it means the world and it inspires me and it makes me proud to be disabled, and that optimizes the Paralympic Games for me.”

The moving speech ended with the audience applauding loudly and a sweet hug from fellow co-host, Josh Widdecombe:

Channel 4

Fans of the show also went to Twitter to shower Brooker with praise for his beautiful words:

And Brooker humbly responded to all the love:

Yet, even after his tear-jerking speech, Brooker kept a good sense of humor, admitting that is was hard not to cry:

“I was worried about getting makeup on my top,” he said with a laugh.

Before You Go

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