Who is Lauren Steadman? The Paralympic gold medallist and Strictly star taking on the Celebrity Masterchef final
From paralympic hero to TV darling
Lauren Steadman has already packed in a host of achievements in her career from the swimming pool to the track and the dancefloor to the kitchen.
The Paralympic gold medallist will be looking to add Celebrity Masterchef to her list of accolades as she looks to dazzle judges Grace Dent and Giorgio Locatelli in the final on BBC1 on Friday, September 18.
She will be facing off against Olympic weightlifter Emily Campbell and reality TV star Shakira Khan in the kitchen to try and take the title. But who is Lauren Steadman and what has led her to this moment?
What happened to her arm?
Lauren was born in Peterborough with a congenital disability which meant she was missing her lower right forearm. It is not something that has held her back with the athlete saying it spurred her on to be the best version of herself and overcome barriers. Following her rise to becoming a champion in sports she has used her platform to advocate for disability awareness and inclusion in sport.
Athletic career
While born in Peterborough, she graduated from the University of Portsmouth with a master’s degree in business and management, and trained with Portsmouth Northsea swimming club. As well as winning multiple Paralympic medals, Lauren also became a three-time World Champion and eight-time European Champion.
Her career started in the pool where she made her debut in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing at just 15 years old before then appearing at the London Paralympics in 2012. On home soil she raced the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle and 400m style finishing 11th, 8th and 5th respectively in the S9 classification.
It was her subsequent move to paratriathlon which saw her come into her own as she picked up the silver medal in Rio 2016 before achieving a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games which took place in 2021. Following her triumph, she was awarded an MBE in the 2022 New Year Honours for her services to triathlon. She followed that up in 2024 in Paris by earning a bronze in her fifth consecutive Paralympic Games.
Television career
Even before picking up her gold medal in Tokyo, Lauren was a household name after competing in Strictly Come Dancing in 2018. She became the BBC show’s first female contestant with a disability and impressed the judges as she danced her way deep into the competition, eventually finishing fifth.
Lauren then followed that up a year later appearing in a show with a lot less glitter. She took on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, a reality series where contestants undergo military-style training. Once again she used the platform to break down barriers proving that her disability did not hold her back when undertaking intense challenges.
Having excelled on the dancefloor and in the wilderness, Lauren has proven to be adept in the kitchen as she prepares for the Celebrity Masterchef final.
The Celebrity Masterchef final is on BBC 1 and the iPlayer from 8pm.