Gorgeous Brazilian fitness model and influencer Paola Antonini has revealed that she does not miss her left leg one bit after suffering a car accident seven years ago and having the limb amputated.
Antonini, who was 20 when her leg was amputated, told BBC News Brasil that she has taken up skateboarding, yoga, dance, weight training and hiking since losing her left leg.
The stunning model, who boasts 2.7 million followers on Instagram, explained what happened that fateful day in 2014: “I was going on a road trip and was leaving my front door to put my bags in the car when I was hit by a car.
“I was then taken to hospital and after 14 hours of surgery they realised they would have to amputate my left leg.
“It was a very drastic change in my life. I was 20 at the time and I would never have imagined going through such a thing, both physically and mentally.”
Antonini said: “It was a moment that changed my life a lot and made me want to live more and try new things. Everyone said it would be really difficult, and I said ‘so I will try’. I started to exercise a lot and took up many new sports like skateboarding, surfing, and dancing.”
The model is known for wearing brightly coloured coverings on her prosthesis, usually to match her outfit for that day, adding that she loves her life today and sometimes does not recognise herself in old photos.
Antonini said: “I don’t want my leg back at all. I love my body, I love this little shiny golden leg and that’s all there is to say!”
She added: “I have a different body now. It made me learn many different things and brought me a happy life.”
She said the Paralympics is an “extremely important” event for putting people with disabilities in the spotlight, adding that there is still a long way to go in terms of inclusion in other aspects of everyday life.
Antonini said: “We should be everywhere – on television, in adverts, in all areas, all professions, but we know that’s not how it is. It’s evolving, the world is really opening doors and creating opportunities for people with disabilities, but it’s still a very slow walk.”
For Antonini, “school is the most important place for us to include people with disabilities”.
She added: “We have to learn to be together with different people who have different rhythms, who need different things. This is much more valuable than sometimes learning things at an ultra-fast pace.
“I had a big opportunity – access to good treatment, exceptional prostheses – but I know not everyone has access to these things.”
She said the average price for a prosthetic limb for adults is between BRL 20,000 and 30,000 (GBP 2,798 and 4,196), adding: “The prosthesis lasts for four or five years, depending on how much you use it. So, when we think about the population, in general, how many people will really have access to nice prostheses that allow them to have an active life? Very few.”
The gorgeous influencer raises funds online to help amputees in Brazil be able to afford prostheses as well as running a foundation that provides rehabilitation to those with physical disabilities.
