Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Iwan Thomas has shared that he had to rush his five-year-old son to the hospital following an accident.
The 51-year-old Olympic sprinter posted a picture of his eldest child, Teddy, recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery for a broken arm. Despite the ordeal, Teddy remained in good spirits, even managing to smile while his arm was wrapped in a sling.
Iwan, who competed on the BBC dance show in 2015, spoke about his son's incredible resilience. "We couldn’t be prouder of Teddy," he wrote. "He’s already faced so many challenges in his young life, and now this - yet he never complains. He just carries on, showing nothing but kindness and love to those around him.
"Children have an extraordinary ability to bounce back, and their strength humbles me every single day. Teddy, you inspire me to be a better person. Thank you for all the lovely messages of support."
Following Iwan's post, his fans and followers alike sent their well wishes to his little boy. "You got a proper tough little soldier on your hands there my brother wishing him a speedy recovery," one shared. "Oh the poor little love, I hope he recovers fast."
Someone else added: "Teddy is a little champion, hope he is safe and well now." While another one of Iwan's fans commented: "Awh bless his little soul. What a brave little boy."
This isn’t the first time Teddy has faced a health scare. In 2018, Iwan revealed that his son had been admitted to intensive care just hours after birth due to a severe breathing difficulty.
Teddy was diagnosed with Group B Streptococcus, a common bacterial infection, and spent the first ten days of his life in the hospital before making a full recovery.
Iwan and his wife, Anna, are also parents to two younger boys—three-year-old Dougie and one-year-old Bowie. Since retiring from professional athletics in 2006 due to injury, Iwan has made numerous appearances on reality television.
Alongside competing on Strictly, he has featured on ITV’s Through the Keyhole, Celebrity MasterChef, Total Wipeout, The Real Hustle, and the quiz show Eggheads.
Last year, Olympian Iwan opened up about his mental health struggles and suicidal thoughts as he revealed Prince Harry's pivotal role in his recovery. The Welsh sprinter who won silver at the Atlanta games in 1996 spoke out as he releases a brutally honest account of his depression, which left him considering taking his life.
The athlete also suffered from a serious bout of depression, speaking about how he struggled to get out of bed and felt "numb". Now an advocate for mental health, he wants to help others. He said: "Breaking that record, everything happened really quickly for me but also everything was taken away quickly.
"All sorts were coming my way, a Madame Tussauds' waxwork, MBE, accolades left right and centre. I thought, 'This is cool, I'll have years left in me yet'. The reality was that that was as good as it was ever going to get."
A pivotal moment for him was in 2016 when he met Prince Harry at a Heads Together event, the mental health initiative set up alongside Prince William and Princess Kate. "It was the weirdest thing. I was there flipping burgers with Prince Harry," he said.
"I hadn't ever really spoken about depression or dark times. I suddenly just opened up to him. It was very bizarre but because he was a stranger I felt I could talk to him. He's been through so much himself, it was easy to talk to him. It opened that tin and allowed me to talk to other people."
