Wigan RAF veteran 'on cloud nine' after being named Vice Captain of Team UK for Invictus Games

An RAF veteran from Wigan, who had to leave the Armed Forces after developing a rare heart condition, has been selected as the new Vice Captain for Team UK at the Invictus Games.

Michelle Turner had served as a Sergeant for more than 20 years when she contracted a virus while deployed in the Middle East.

She developed postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, a condition that causes her heart rate to suddenly increase, and means she is at risk of collapsing.

"180 collapses later, I was a mess, to be honest. I was fed up of waking up on different floors so I decided the best thing to do was to stay in.

"I was in hospital after a bad collapse into a coffee table and I got an email through about Invictus. My first response was to say 'no I can't possibly do that'. My husband asked why not, and I just said, 'well, the more I do, the more I collapse.'

"He said he was worried because they were losing me. My daughter was doing amazing things and making us so proud and I wanted to do something to make her proud too.

"The first training camp I went to, I was petrified but you're back with military people, the camaraderie, the laughing, just everything that I missed I was getting back. I was sitting on the rowing machine doing things, and not sat on my sofa."

Michelle was selected to travel to Toronto for the 2017 Games, where she competed in rowing and swimming.

After coming 5th overall in the indoor rowing competition, she collapsed before her swimming heat:

"I had this vision of going to Toronto and everything being perfect and it wasn't. It was obviously too much and I went in an ambulance to Toronto Hospital and it meant I couldn't swim. I felt like I'd let the swim team down. It was awful.

"I could have either gone back to my room and cry my eyes out, but I thought the team were out there and I pulled myself together to go an support them. I stood on the sidelines and so I cheered them on at the finals and I screamed and shouted a clapped. I learnt so much about myself that day.

"You could either go back home and cry or you turn it around and you cheer on your team and help them get their medals.

"I want to pass on that message and just do my vice captain role justice, incorporating the friends and family because they see us at our worst and pass on any knowledge and make the best team yet."

She applied to be the team vice captain earlier this year, while filling in the form to be considered for the 2018 team:

"I absolutely don't believe I'm actually saying it. It really was truly a dare to dream moment, do I dare to tick that box and go for it? I think I just felt like I could give so much, I went through every single emotion in Toronto and I wanted to pass everything I learnt as me, and everything my friends and family learnt, I wanted to pass that on."

Over the next six months, Michelle and the team of 72 veterans will attend regular training camps across the country.

In October this year they will then travel to Sydney to compete in the 2018 Invictus Games.

Michelle will be representing the country in indoor rowing.