The Olympic hero and TV personality says she has lost a fortune after speaking out
Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies has revealed that she is unable to heat her home and instead keeps warm with an electric blanket. Sharron rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s representing Great Britain at major international competitions, including the Olympic Games and European Championships.
She first captured the public’s attention at the age of 14 when she competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics and went on to win a silver medal in the 400-metre individual medley at the 1980 Moscow Olympics She accumulated multiple European Championship medals and dominated domestic competitions, setting numerous records.
She became a familiar face on British television, appearing as a presenter, commentator, and contestant on entertainment and sports programmes – including Gladiators. Beyond television, she has been an outspoken advocate for health, fitness, and ethical sport, often campaigning on issues related to anti-doping and fairness in competitive athletics.
She has been vocal about the issue of transgender people taking part in women’s sport – and says being ‘cancelled’ for her views has cost her. She said: “I’ve lost ten years of work. I’ve lost a fortune.”
Speaking to MailOnline, Sharron said: “I’m lucky in that I had had a good career, so I didn’t have a huge mortgage, but now I live in a lovely Georgian house which I can’t afford to heat because my heating bills have gone mental like everyone else’s. I have been sitting here in my electric blanket in the kitchen today.
“But I learned a long time ago that money doesn’t bring happiness. What I am doing now gives me a sense of purpose.”
Sharron is about to join the House of Lords and will campaign to get more girls into sport. She said: “I personally am quite grateful for the House of Lords right now because I think it’s curtailing things that would otherwise literally just fly through and become even bigger problems than they already are. The euthanasia bill, for instance. It’s a slippery slope if we don’t get it right. And what I see the House of Lords doing is trying to get it right, and there are so many good people in there.”
