(gentle music)
- [Interviewer] What're we doing today?
- We're doing a underwear photo shoot,
bearing all, basically, and my scars
and my stoma bag, with my good friend Linda.
Just over three months post-surgery
so I'm still not, like, 100% yet, at all.
Came here with my walking stick.
Getting on the tube at rush hour,
don't want to not have the walking stick with you.
Yeah, I'm kind of excited to do this but...
I don't know, I think it...
I've shared a lot of the stoma and the surgery
and everything online already and it seems
to resonate with a lot of people in terms of,
like, you know, being visible...
with the kind of body that is often not seen.
Like, you may know people in your life
that have stomas but you don't realise it,
Inflammatory Bowel Disease being an invisible
illness that a lot of people suffer from.
(gentle music)
In terms of my own body image, like,
I've always been a fairly confident person,
but this has definitely taken a knock for me.
It's just... it's weird, like, I've got like,
a big, red, fleshy intestine, like coming out
the side of my body, and now that's like...
that is just a part of my body now.
The scars, to be honest, the scar, like,
I don't really mind, I think it looks kind of cool.
(laughs)
So I'm okay with the scar, like,
it's changed the shape of my belly button though,
which is kind of weird.
But yeah, my body, like,
has definitely changed, like my tummy area
just like feels a lot more, like, bloated,
and the under bit, the belly button, like,
I never used to have, like, the pouch
but now I have, like, the pouch.
- [Interviewer] You've been incredibly strong
throughout the whole process,
you obviously do have a lot of feelings on the inside.
- Yeah, I've shown a little bit of the toll
it's kind of taken on my mental health,
but I've not massively explored that
or done much about it yet in my real life,
which I know I definitely want to.
The way that I described it recently was that it's like
when your body has all this adrenaline,
and it goes into overdrive and even
if you're incredibly weak, the adrenaline
just, like, forces you to do something
and you're suddenly really strong
but then once that adrenaline wears off, you crash.
You completely crash.
And I think I was so happy being healthy again, like,
after the surgery, like, the diseased part of you
is no longer there.
I wasn't feeling ill, so I was so happy
that I wasn't ill anymore.
And then I was so happy to be, like,
discharged from hospital and so happy
to be back home and that's kind of now
worn off so I like had this like glaze of like,
"Oh my God, I'm not ill anymore," I'm like,
"I'm home," I'm still incredibly weak and
can't really do a lot, but it was infinitely
better than being ill in hospital.
Recovery is just, like, taking so much longer
than I expect it to, and that's really
I think, taking a toll especially as the like
happy moments have all kind of like subsided now
and I'm just like, "Oh, okay, hm."
But... hoping today will bring
lots of happy moments.
- [Interviewer] I found you to be
an incredibly sexual person.
Part of this maybe is a way of reclaiming that?
- Yeah, so I am very open about sex and relationships,
and I do, like, education for young people and stuff
and so it's something I talk about a lot.
It really changes your sex life I think,
and especially, like, the way that you think
of yourself and sex.
- Yeah, I like the flower.
- Yeah!
And this is definitely a way of
kind of reclaiming that sexiness for me,
We're gonna, we're gonna be sexy today, it's great.
(laughs)
(lively music)
- Bit of Wonder Woman
(laughing)
(lively music)
- We got it!
(cheers and applause)
- [Interviewer] Classic question.
How do you feel?
- I feel good. I feel, like,
really relaxed, actually, I think.
Maybe it was because the last few shots we did
were lying down, but I just feel pretty chill, yeah.
(laughs)
One of the things that I found since talking
about my operation and having a stoma
is that loads of people know someone
in their life with a stoma but because it's...
kind of a taboo subject,
'cause it's about poo and your bowel movements,
they haven't actually asked that person
in their life about it.
So they're like, embarrassed or ashamed
or don't know how to ask about it
because they think that the other person
might get offended or something
but I just think, talk about it, like,
ask the people in your life who you know
have stomas, like, "How is that for you,"
and stuff, because I've found that
actually a lot of my friends get really curious.
I find it quite easy to talk about
and I think sometimes it just takes, like,
breaking the seal and starting...
breaking the ice, that's the phrase.
'Cause actually, these things should be
talked about because so many people have this,
they're in, like, the same situation that I am now.
I think what I want people to take away,
specifically other folks out there who have
stomas, colostomy bags, or scars,
that you're still beautiful
and you're still perfectly capable
and you shouldn't have to take away...
it doesn't make you any less whole and less of a person
and yeah, our bodies are different now,
but they still deserve to be seen and to be celebrated.
Raising awareness of IBD and stomas
will help lots of people, folks with them
and then also folks who are friends, family,
whatever, with people who have them too.
Thanks so much for watching this video.
If you want to see the final shots
I will leave a link in the description to my Instagram,
Linda the photographer's Instagram
where you can have a look at them.
Please give us your thumbs-up if you enjoyed it,
and talk to the people in your life
with stomas, without stomas, talk about
your bowel movements, it's grand.
Thanks again to Linda, the photographer,
Ashley, who did my amazing hair and makeup,
and Becca, who's filmed and edited this video,
thank you all, and I'll see you soon!
Bye!