Danni Menzies may have called time on her travels as presenter of A Place in the Sun in 2022, but she's since found herself on a different, intensely personal, journey.
"Life's had its ups and downs, to be honest. Just after I left the show, I had the best working month of my life and I got some really amazing opportunities," says Danni, 37.
"I didn't know what was going to happen next, and then I had this amazing time where I was like, 'wow, everything's going to be OK. The doors are opening."
But just months later, in October 2022, Danni had a horrific moped accident, and her life suddenly changed as she was "taken out" by the stolen vehicle.
She was knocked out, and left permanently scarred and suffering from PTSD. "Life just kind of stopped. The last few years were hard at times after that," she admits.
"When something like that happens, you definitely realise how fragile life is. I mean, it could have been so much worse. I could've been killed. I could've had brain damage.
"I was really lucky to come out of it the way I did. It makes you realise that everything can change in a moment and tomorrow's never promised. You have to try and live more in the present."
As part of her recovery, Danni was treated using eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR). The therapy requires a person to move their eyes in a certain way while recalling traumatic memories and can help to reduce symptoms of PTSD.
"I've been working with a therapist for a year because I would get quite jumpy in public places and I was getting anxious and struggling with self-worth," she says.
"I still don't really understand how it works in your brain, but it does something. There were places near where the accident happened that I used to avoid walking near and I'd get quite unreasonably anxious. It seems to have really worked for me on that front."
WELLNESS
Danni made some life-changing decisions along the way too, including giving up alcohol, training five times a week, and putting her flat on the market. "I went on a bit of a wellness journey and did a lot of soul searching.
"The end result is amazing. Doing all these therapies I would have never have done otherwise has helped me get to a place where I feel better than I ever have, which is pretty amazing," she explains.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1583504377/1742433353/articles/2B89fH4OmfToUtObBtsys/4522361744.jpg]
As a single person, Danni has also decided to freeze her eggs before it's too late. "I worried about fertility in my early 30s before the accident. A year or so beforehand, one of my friends found out she couldn't conceive at the age of 32. That makes you go, oh, is that going to be me?' I had no idea.
"For two years after the accident, I wasn't thinking about anything like that. I was just trying to get my head back into a good place. Now that I'm out the other side, I feel like I lost the last few years in terms of my career and dating at a reall...
"Life's had its ups and downs, to be honest. Just after I left the show, I had the best working month of my life and I got some really amazing opportunities," says Danni, 37.
"I didn't know what was going to happen next, and then I had this amazing time where I was like, 'wow, everything's going to be OK. The doors are opening."
But just months later, in October 2022, Danni had a horrific moped accident, and her life suddenly changed as she was "taken out" by the stolen vehicle.
She was knocked out, and left permanently scarred and suffering from PTSD. "Life just kind of stopped. The last few years were hard at times after that," she admits.
"When something like that happens, you definitely realise how fragile life is. I mean, it could have been so much worse. I could've been killed. I could've had brain damage.
"I was really lucky to come out of it the way I did. It makes you realise that everything can change in a moment and tomorrow's never promised. You have to try and live more in the present."
As part of her recovery, Danni was treated using eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR). The therapy requires a person to move their eyes in a certain way while recalling traumatic memories and can help to reduce symptoms of PTSD.
"I've been working with a therapist for a year because I would get quite jumpy in public places and I was getting anxious and struggling with self-worth," she says.
"I still don't really understand how it works in your brain, but it does something. There were places near where the accident happened that I used to avoid walking near and I'd get quite unreasonably anxious. It seems to have really worked for me on that front."
WELLNESS
Danni made some life-changing decisions along the way too, including giving up alcohol, training five times a week, and putting her flat on the market. "I went on a bit of a wellness journey and did a lot of soul searching.
"The end result is amazing. Doing all these therapies I would have never have done otherwise has helped me get to a place where I feel better than I ever have, which is pretty amazing," she explains.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1583504377/1742433353/articles/2B89fH4OmfToUtObBtsys/4522361744.jpg]
As a single person, Danni has also decided to freeze her eggs before it's too late. "I worried about fertility in my early 30s before the accident. A year or so beforehand, one of my friends found out she couldn't conceive at the age of 32. That makes you go, oh, is that going to be me?' I had no idea.
"For two years after the accident, I wasn't thinking about anything like that. I was just trying to get my head back into a good place. Now that I'm out the other side, I feel like I lost the last few years in terms of my career and dating at a reall...
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Daily Express (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 20, 2025