BBC Sewing Bee star opens up about ‘chronic’ health condition
The Great British Sewing Bee returned with 11 amateur sewers hoping to be crowned winner.
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The Great British Sewing Bee has returned for a new series (Image: BBC)
A contestant on The Great British Sewing Bee has opened up about her health condition.
The popular BBC competition has returned for its 12th season, with Esme Young and Patrick Grant reprising their roles as judges, whilst comedian Sophie Willan replaced Sara Pascoe as presenter.
As the new season aired its second week, the 11 remaining amateur sewers took part in three challenges.
First, they faced the Pattern Challenge, constructing a top with adaptive elements, then they faced a Transformation Challenge, where they had to convince the judges that their least favourite colours, brown and purple, could be transformed into attractive garments.
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Sophie Willan has joined Esme Young and Patrick Grant (Image: BBC/Love Productions/Neil Sherwood)
Finally, in the Made-to-Measure, the sewers had to use one colour to create an eye-catching outfit.
During the first task in the show, two contestants opened up about their passion to promote adaptive clothing.
Oxfordshire engineering PhD student Beth shared: “The adaptive side of it is really great because it’s quite a personal thing for me.
“My dad broke his neck in a motorbike accident. Very luckily, he’s still with us but he can’t feel with his hands.
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Beth shared how adaptive clothing helped her (Image: BBC)
“I’ve used really big buttons with quite large button holes so he can do them himself.”
Beth, 24, also shared how she creates clothes for her own needs, explaining: “I have scoliosis which is the curvature of the spine, and so being able to make dresses or tops that celebrate my back from all the lifting I do is quite an empowering thing.
“Without sewing that wouldn’t be possible for me.”
Not long later, another Sewing Bee star shared their health condition, after suffering from pain.
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Rebecca came in first place in the opening task (Image: BBC)
Contestant Rebecca, 27, revealed she made garments adjusted for her own needs.
She said: “Almost everything I make for myself is adaptive. I have chronic stomach pain, so for me, adaptive fashion is making sure there is nothing tight around my stomach.”
The chartered actuary from London was crowned winner of the first challenge, and celebrated: “I’m so thrilled to have specifically won the adaptive fashion challenge as an invisibly-disabled person.”
The Great British Sewing Bee airs Tuesdays at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.