Sophie Morgan

Sophie Morgan (born 1985) is a British television presenter and disability advocate who is paraplegic. She became a presenter after appearing on reality television. In 2021, she was a lead presenter for Channel 4's TV coverage of the Summer Paralympics in Tokyo. She has been voted one of the most influential disabled people in the UK,[1] and has been working on television for almost twenty years.

For the author, see Sophie Morgan (author). For the English singer-songwriter, see Sophie Morgan (singer-songwriter). For the Fijian sailor, see Sophia Morgan.

Sophie Morgan
Born (1985-02-24) 24 February 1985
Crowborough, East Sussex, England
OccupationTelevision presenter
Websitesophiemorgan.com

Early life

Morgan was born near Crowborough, East Sussex, in 1985. Her father is a wine broker and her mother held various positions as a nurse, gundog trainer and air stewardess.[2] Morgan was educated at Cumnor House School, Danehill, East Sussex and Gordonstoun School. "Having been chucked out of school in England, Sophie was sent to Gordonstoun School" in Moray, Scotland.[3][4][5]

Morgan sustained a T6 spinal cord injury in a road traffic accident in 2003, at the age of 18. This left her with paralysis from the chest down, and she has since used a wheelchair.[6][2][7]

Prior to the accident, Morgan had planned to study law at the University of Manchester.[8][2][9] Having returned to live with her parents in Brighton, she instead opted to study art at the City College Brighton & Hove[10] After completing her art foundation course, she started a Bachelor of Arts degree in fine arts at Goldsmiths, University of London.[9][8][11][12] During her degree, a second career opportunity arose, as she was asked to participate in an expedition across Nicaragua (‘Beyond Boundaries' BBC 2004). She later obtained a diploma in arts therapy from the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education.

Stalker

In August 2018, Robert Keegan was convicted of harassing Morgan and given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and an indefinite restraining order stopping him from contacting her. He subsequently breached the restraining order and in March 2019, on trial at Inner London Crown Court, was ordered to be detained in a secure psychiatric hospital for assessment awaiting sentencing.[13]

Career in television

In 2004, nine months after her accident, Morgan took part in the first series of BBC Two's Beyond Boundaries, which followed 11 disabled people on an expedition to traverse 220 miles across Nicaragua from its Atlantic coast to its Pacific coast.[14][15][16] She contracted amoebic dysentery in the jungle, requiring 5 days' hospitalisation, and was unable to complete the expedition.[2] A follow-up program, Beyond Boundaries: Where Are They Now?, was broadcast in 2009.[17]

In 2008, Morgan appeared in BBC Three's Britain's Missing Top Model. For the series, 8 women with disabilities competed to impress a panel of judges and "prove that they have what it takes to become a model."[18] The winner received a fashion shoot for Marie Claire magazine with photographer Rankin.[11] Danny Cohen said that the series aimed to challenge boundaries in the beauty and fashion industries."[18] Morgan was the runner-up to Kelly Knox. In 2011, Morgan was one of 12 women who were part of Stella McCartney's Adidas campaign for her 'MY2012' sportswear collection.[2]

In 2013, Morgan presented Licence to Kill, a documentary for BBC Three about road accidents like hers caused by young drivers.[19] The documentary won the Royal Television Society's award for Best Current Affairs film of 2013.[20] Tom Sutcliffe, for The Independent, described it as "an often heartbreaking film, focusing on the misery that follows road-traffic accidents and the terrifying insouciance of young people about their own survival."[21] Following broadcast of the film, Morgan teamed up with BBC Learning and Drive iQ to launch the Licence to Kill Schools Tour, visiting schools and colleges to promote young driver safety.[22] The tour was endorsed by organizations including Road Safety GB, Transport for London, and RoadSafe.[23]

In 2015 Morgan travelled to Ghana, West Africa, to present The World's Worst Place To Be Disabled?, a documentary for BBC Three made as part of the channel's Defying the Label season.[24][25] Nora Groce, an anthropologist working with people with disabilities in the developing world, described the documentary as "an accurate depiction of the life faced by millions of persons with disabilities".[26]

In 2018 Morgan co-hosted a British Channel 4 TV series, Best Laid Plans, with architectural designer Charlie Luxton. They came to the aid of homeowners whose domestic renovation projects had hit problems, helping the couples resolve their differences and come to decisions on how to proceed with their projects. The show lasted for one season.[27]

In 2021 she presented Living Wild: How to Change Your Life.[28] in a road trip across the UK, meeting people united by a desire to build new lives around the things they love.[29]

Since November 2021, Morgan joined the rotating regular panellists who present ITV's Loose Women.[30]

Reportage

Morgan has appeared in Horizon for BBC Two,[31] The One Show for BBC One[32][33] and has reported for Channel 4 News as part of the No Go Britain series which examines accessibility and transport issues for disabled people.[34]

In 2019, Morgan presented 'The Secrets of Amazon', an edition of the Channel 4 current affairs series Dispatches.[35]

Sports broadcasting

Morgan had a small role as a presenter for Channel 4's sports coverage of the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London,[36] and co-hosted, with JJ Chalmers, the channel's coverage of the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro[12][37][38][39] Morgan has also co-hosted Channel 4's paralympic magazine show, The Superhuman Show, with Alex Brooker, and presented coverage of the 2016 IPC Swimming European Championships.[40]

Morgan was chosen for another presenting role for the 2020 Summer Paralympics.[41]

Disability advocacy

In recognition of her work with The Back Up Trust, a charity providing support for people with spinal cord injuries, Morgan was named Girl of The Year by Cosmopolitan in 2004.[16][42] In 2013, she was named Ultimate Campaigner of the year in Cosmopolitan's Ultimate Women Awards.[43] In 2015 Morgan became a patron of disability charity Scope.[44] She is also Global Ambassador for Leonard Cheshire and on the special advisory board for Human Rights Watch.

References
  1. "OK Magazine".
  2. Williams, Sally (4 March 2012). "'I feel more fulfilled since the accident': Despite being paralysed, Sophie Morgan has modelled for Stella McCartney, runs her own business and is about to present her first BBC documentary". The Sunday Telegraph. London. p. 27. Retrieved 19 September 2016 – via InfoTrac.
  3. "BBC - Britain's Missing Top Model - Meet the Models - Sophie".
  4. "Old Cumnorian News 2011/12". Cumnor House School. 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  5. "Autumn Term Week Three". Gordonstoun. 14 September 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  6. Morgan, Sophie (27 April 2013). "Young, naive - with a licence to kill". The Daily Telegraph. London. p. 15. Retrieved 19 September 2016 – via InfoTrac.
  7. Morgan, Sophie; Greenwell, Daisy (5 September 2012). "Disability on display". The Times. London. p. 3. Retrieved 19 September 2016 – via InfoTrac.
  8. Fairbank, Keith (16 March 2012). "Everything I have achieved is down to the car crash that paralysed me". The Kent and Sussex Courier. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  9. Butter, Susannah (22 May 2014). "I, robot: A high-tech exoskeleton is helping Sophie Morgan to walk again after 10 years in a wheelchair". London Evening Standard. London. p. 48. Retrieved 19 September 2016 – via InfoTrac.
  10. Daily Telegraph. I feel more fulfilled since the accident. Sally Williams. 4 March 2012
  11. "Britain's Missing Top Model: Sophie Morgan". BBC. 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  12. "Sophie Morgan". Channel 4. 29 August 2012. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2016 – via Wayback Machine.
  13. Kirk, Tristan (4 March 2019). "'He won't leave me alone': TV star's stalker is locked up after breaching order". Evening Standard. London. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  14. "TV challenge for team travelling into the unknown". The Yorkshire Post. 11 October 2005. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  15. Silvers, Isabella (30 August 2016). "Sophie Morgan Talks (Not) Being Broken, Wheelchair Myths & Rio 2016". InStyle. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  16. "In Pictures: Beyond Boundaries". BBC News. 2005. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  17. "Beyond Boundaries: Where Are They Now?". BBC Two. 8 April 2009. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  18. Martin, Nicole (26 June 2008). "Disabled models to compete in BBC reality TV show". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  19. "Licence to Kill". BBC Three. 21 July 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  20. "BBC Three wins three prestigious RTS NW Awards". BBC. 25 November 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  21. Sutcliffe, Tom (25 April 2013). "TV review: Licence to Kill, BBC3". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  22. "Licence to Kill Schools Tour". Drive iQ. 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  23. "Drive iQ 'Licence to Kill' Schools Tour reaches Essex". Roadio. February 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  24. "The World's Worst Place to Be Disabled?". BBC Three. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  25. Ryan, Frances (20 July 2015). "Defying the Label: from sweetness to filthy humour, BBC3 unpacks disability". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  26. Groce, Nora (28 July 2015). "Review: The Worst Place in the World to be Disabled". Leonard Cheshire Disability. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  27. "Best Laid Plans: Episode Guide". Channel 4. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  28. "Living Wild: How to Change Your Life - All 4".
  29. "TV Times". 4 March 2023.
  30. "GoodtoKnow". 3 November 2021.
  31. "Horizon: Fix Me". BBC. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  32. "The One Show 20/02/2014". BBC. 20 February 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  33. "The One Show 29/03/2016". BBC. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  34. "Paralympic presenter nightmare". Channel 4. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  35. "Dispatches: The Secrets of Amazon". Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  36. [<https://disabilitypower100.com/project/sophie-morgan/ Sophie Morgan]
  37. Morgan, Sophie (3 September 2012). "The public's response has driven our athletes to even greater heights". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  38. McClanahan, Paige (9 September 2012). "Paralympics set to leave lasting impression on London". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  39. Tate, Gabriel (18 September 2016). "Why Channel 4 has proved itself a brilliant Paralympics broadcaster". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  40. "The Superhumans Show". Radio Times. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  41. Bennett, Steve. "Rosie Jones joins C4's Paralympics team : News 2021 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  42. "Community Channel premieres new film to raise volunteering awareness for disabled people". Media Trust. September 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  43. Lucey, Kate (5 December 2013). "The Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women Awards 2013: Full winners list". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  44. "Our patrons". Scope. 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
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