ALTON Towers crash victim Vicky Balch has defended bravely baring her scars, saying she hopes to inspire body confidence in young women.
The former dancer, 21, lost her right leg following the Smiler tragedy, but said she did the shoot to prove you can “be whoever you want to be”.
Speaking to ITV’s Lorraine this morning Vicky said it took “a lot of confidence” to pose for the pictures.
She said: “You need to look a certain way now. People think you need to look perfect so I want to prove that you don’t have to.”
“You can be whoever you want to be and look however you want to.”
related stories
Vicky admitted on the show that she didn’t “feel anything” when she went back to the theme park following the crash.
She told Lorraine: “I went back last year. At first it was upsetting, but then I thought why am I crying.
“I wanted to know everything about it, we went back with one of the anaesthetist and he explained everything, I found myself just staring at the ride thinking ‘why don’t I feel angry? Why don’t I feel anything?'”
Vicky was one of five left seriously injured after the rollercoaster train collided with an empty carriage.
Alton Towers blamed “human error” for the devastating crash, which caused passengers Vicky and Leah Washington, 19, to both lose a leg.
After having her right leg amputated, Vicky worried her life would never be the same again.
In an exclusive interview with the Sunday People, Vicky admitted: “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t consider suicide at my lowest points.
“In the beginning especially, there were days when I didn’t want to be here anymore.
“I’d think, ‘What’s the point? I’m not going to be able to live my life to the full or love my life ever again.’”
Following the traumatic ordeal, Vicky has struggled with body confidence issues and getting intimate in her relationships.
She said: “It wasn’t nice really because I didn’t feel sexy.
“I was very self-conscious and very aware. It brings the mood down and I’d prefer the lights off.”
Even though Vicky has had three short-term boyfriends since the accident, none of the relationships have progressed further than a couple of months.
In August, she was spotted smooching one of her dates during a night out in Romford, Essex.
The former beauty student believes her relationships didn’t progress because of her confidence struggles after the incident.
After getting the snaps taken at Andrew Wood Photography, Manchester, Vicky insisted that none of her injuries were edited out of the pictures.
She hopes that the images will help to change how the world views sexy.
Her message seems to be working, as an 18-year-old girl with terminal cancer contacted Vicky to thank her for having the confidence to show her scars off.
The latest snaps follow Vicky’s previous lingerie photoshoot, which made her sob because she thought she’d “never look sexy again”.
For her next project, the courageous 21-year-old is planning on starting a career in TV presenting.