Danni Menzies may be best known for her upbeat personality when she presented Channel 4 property show A Place In The Sun, but 17 months ago the 36-year-old's life was thrown into turmoil when she was hit by a stolen moped.
The Scottish presenter was knocked unconscious during the horror smash in October 2022 - and was left with two black eyes, a bloody cut on her eyebrow and a graze running from her nose and across her lip.
The crash happened outside a newsagents when two women attempted to steal the moped in Battersea, south London, and drive off with it, before losing control and hitting Danni at 30mph. Covered in blood, Danni was rushed to hospital in an ambulance. She suffered with post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic vertigo following the incident.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1583506613/1710842707/articles/vGEe62m8s1710847314190/4331121877.jpg]
But now, in an exclusive chat with new, the former model says she feels like she is getting over the experience. "The sun is finally shining for me again," she says.
Here, Danni lifts the lid on the reason she left A Place In The Sun although she has returned for its spin-off show A Place In The Sun: What Happened Next? - reveals what's going on in her love life and pays tribute to her former co-star Jonnie Irwin, who died last month...
Hi Danni! How are you?
I'm good. Life is busy at the moment but I like that. It's been a year and a half now since my moped accident and I feel like I'm finally out the other side. I had PTSD for a long time and I took some time off work. I won't lie things were difficult and I had that worry I wouldn't be able to work again. But I've been challenging myself and making sure I conquer any fear I had.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1583506613/1710842707/articles/vGEe62m8s1710847314190/1677083406.jpg]
That sounds difficult. We're glad you're on the mend...
Thank you. It's definitely taken a while though. I knew I had to push myself because I couldn't just sit there and feel bad although I did for a while. I had to put myself out there again. Right after it happened, I sort of went into autopilot and pretended things were normal, but that caused me to have a bit of a breakdown. It's been a gradual healing journey. I only just kind of feel like I'm getting back to my old self.
Is talking about mental health struggles important to you?
Yeah, I went through therapy and that has helped me. But talking openly about mental health is something I've always tried to do throughout my career. When I first started modelling in London, I was told to hide the fact I had anxiety and had been depressed because no one would want to work with me. If I can talk about my struggles and it helps one person even a little, that makes it worthwhile.
How are things going since you left A Place In The Sun? Why did you decide to leave?
I left the show for many reasons to be honest. I'd been doing it for six years and at that point in my life, it felt like now or never. Plus, the reality of doing A Place In The Sun, as you can imagine, includes a lot of travel. Although you get to meet amazing people, living out of a suitcase or only being home for a couple weeks at a time can be challenging. I'm 36 now and I was finding it hard to start any relationships and make them work when I wasn't around. It was an amazing opportunity but I felt it was time to move on.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1583506613/1710842707/articles/vGEe62m8s1710847314190/2677118883.jpg]
You're now hosting its spin-off show A Place In The Sun: What Happened Next? What drew you back in?
The big thing for me was that I was only going to be travelling for two days. On the original show, you're away for weeks at a time in order to film a couple of episodes at once. But with What Happened Next? I can jump on a flight on Tuesday night and be back by Frida...
The Scottish presenter was knocked unconscious during the horror smash in October 2022 - and was left with two black eyes, a bloody cut on her eyebrow and a graze running from her nose and across her lip.
The crash happened outside a newsagents when two women attempted to steal the moped in Battersea, south London, and drive off with it, before losing control and hitting Danni at 30mph. Covered in blood, Danni was rushed to hospital in an ambulance. She suffered with post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic vertigo following the incident.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1583506613/1710842707/articles/vGEe62m8s1710847314190/4331121877.jpg]
But now, in an exclusive chat with new, the former model says she feels like she is getting over the experience. "The sun is finally shining for me again," she says.
Here, Danni lifts the lid on the reason she left A Place In The Sun although she has returned for its spin-off show A Place In The Sun: What Happened Next? - reveals what's going on in her love life and pays tribute to her former co-star Jonnie Irwin, who died last month...
Hi Danni! How are you?
I'm good. Life is busy at the moment but I like that. It's been a year and a half now since my moped accident and I feel like I'm finally out the other side. I had PTSD for a long time and I took some time off work. I won't lie things were difficult and I had that worry I wouldn't be able to work again. But I've been challenging myself and making sure I conquer any fear I had.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1583506613/1710842707/articles/vGEe62m8s1710847314190/1677083406.jpg]
That sounds difficult. We're glad you're on the mend...
Thank you. It's definitely taken a while though. I knew I had to push myself because I couldn't just sit there and feel bad although I did for a while. I had to put myself out there again. Right after it happened, I sort of went into autopilot and pretended things were normal, but that caused me to have a bit of a breakdown. It's been a gradual healing journey. I only just kind of feel like I'm getting back to my old self.
Is talking about mental health struggles important to you?
Yeah, I went through therapy and that has helped me. But talking openly about mental health is something I've always tried to do throughout my career. When I first started modelling in London, I was told to hide the fact I had anxiety and had been depressed because no one would want to work with me. If I can talk about my struggles and it helps one person even a little, that makes it worthwhile.
How are things going since you left A Place In The Sun? Why did you decide to leave?
I left the show for many reasons to be honest. I'd been doing it for six years and at that point in my life, it felt like now or never. Plus, the reality of doing A Place In The Sun, as you can imagine, includes a lot of travel. Although you get to meet amazing people, living out of a suitcase or only being home for a couple weeks at a time can be challenging. I'm 36 now and I was finding it hard to start any relationships and make them work when I wasn't around. It was an amazing opportunity but I felt it was time to move on.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1583506613/1710842707/articles/vGEe62m8s1710847314190/2677118883.jpg]
You're now hosting its spin-off show A Place In The Sun: What Happened Next? What drew you back in?
The big thing for me was that I was only going to be travelling for two days. On the original show, you're away for weeks at a time in order to film a couple of episodes at once. But with What Happened Next? I can jump on a flight on Tuesday night and be back by Frida...
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New UK (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 25, 2024