STEVE BROWN – LIFE-CHANGING ACCIDENT
Steve Brown was just 23 years old when his life changed forever. He was working in Europe as an area manager for a holiday company. Recounting the experience, he says:
“I tripped and fell from a first-floor balcony. I was looking up when I landed, so when my body stopped, my head went back over my shoulders, like a severe whiplash. It snapped my neck, dislocating the C7 [one of the cervical vertebrae below the skull] and trapping my spinal cord.”
Steve was taken to hospital for emergency surgery to stabilise his neck; by this point, the only parts of his body he could move were his shoulders, neck and elbows. Three weeks later he returned to England to begin his rehabilitation at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Whilst at the hospital, he was taken to watch a game of wheelchair rugby. He would come to think of this moment as the one that transformed his life.
“There were people trying to knock each other out of their wheelchairs, shouting, swearing and arguing. There was a canyon between where I was mentally and physically and where they were. A lot of them had similar injuries to me, some had worse, and I thought, ‘if they can be that confident, why can’t I?’ It was a turning point.”
STEVE BROWN – SPORTING CAREER
Steve left the hospital in October 2005, before taking part in his first wheelchair rugby training session the very same month. His potential at the London Wheelchair Rugby Club was quickly noted by the head coach of the GB team and he was awarded a place in the squad in 2006. By 2007 he was part of the team that won gold in the IWRF European Championships. Narrowly missing out on selection for the 2008 Paralympic Games, Steve was honoured to lead the Parade of Heroes through London on the team’s return.
He was picked to be in the squad for the 2012 London Paralympic games, and despite breaking his sternum in 2010, was awarded the captaincy in 2011, and ended up leading his team to a 5th-place finish in 2012.
Although he retired from the sport after the London games, he remained heavily involved as a player and also as Director of Wheelchair Rugby at Canterbury Hellfire Wheelchair Rugby Club.
STEVE BROWN – TV PRESENTING & MEDIA CAREER
Since his retirement from sport, Steve Brown has become increasingly present on our TV screens across a variety of channels. He has reported for Sky Sports’ Game Changers, for ITV at the BT World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge, Wimbledon 2018, The London Marathon in 2018 and 2019, the Invictus Games for the BBC in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018, as well as part of the Channel 4 team for the 2016 Paralympic Games. In 2017, Steve took part in the BBC 1 series Without Limits: Vietnam, where he and five other people with physical disabilities embarked on a 900-mile journey, showing how inaccessible some of the world can be for those with additional needs.
In 2024, Steve was part of Channel 4’s presenting team for the Paris Paralympic Games.
STEVE BROWN – NATURE & WILDLIFE PRESENTING
He has since diversified away from sporting programmes and started to demonstrate his huge range as a presenter, appearing on BBC’s Springwatch, Blue Planet UK (2019), The One Show (2018-2019), Escape to the Perfect Town (2021), Escape to the Country (2019-), Greatest Escapes to the Country (2020), BBC Breakfast and Countryfile (2018-). In 2018 he received the New On Screen Talent award at the Royal Television Society West of England Awards for his work on Countryfile.
He has also been featured in and contributed to publications including the Radio Times, Daily Express, Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, Ontrack Magazine, TV Times, Radio Times, Daily Mail, the Independent, Evening Standard, Sport Magazine and The Times.
Steve presents Countryfile alongside fellow Great British Speakers talent Anita Rani, Ellie Harrison and Adam Henson:
STEVE BROWN – SPEAKING
His inspiring sporting and media career has led Steve to be a popular motivational, keynote and after-dinner speaker, where he talks openly and honestly about his injury and his recovery, the obstacles he’s had to overcome, and how to aim for excellence.
In his speeches, he aims to motivate audiences and challenge their way of thinking. With his warmth, humour and wit, Steve captivates audiences from the very beginning, leaving them invigorated by his story.
STEVE BROWN – SPEAKING TOPICS
– Animals/Wildlife
– Sports
– Paralympics
– Sustainability/Environment
– Travel
– Disability/Injury
– Drive & Determination
– Overcoming Obstacles
– Leadership & Teamwork
STEVE BROWN – MENTORING
Steve has also turned his attention toward supporting others through work, education and sport. He works as a mentor and coach for wheelchair rugby schemes and leading projects such as Sky Sports’ Living for Sport and Youth Games. He mentors the next generation of sporting heroes in corporate, educational and charitable settings. He tailors his mentoring sessions to the needs of the individual, supporting them and challenging them to develop new habits and new ways to overcome obstacles. His charitable work includes being an ambassador for Wooden Spoon, a patron of Panathlon and a trustee for the Swale Youth Development Fund.
Steve Brown is an inspiration to all audiences – not just sporting – and a real role model to the next generation. He is, without a doubt, one of the most passionate and likeable athletes on the speaking circuit today.
Steve Brown Speaking Clients: Access Sport, Action Medical Research, Allianz SE, BT, Coloplast, East Riding Council, German Wings, The Lord’s Taverners, Microsoft, the National Sales Group, Neurokinex, NHS, Paddy Power, Premiership Rugby, PJ Care, Rotary GB & Ireland, Sky, Slater & Gordon, Southern Housing, Specsavers, the Spinal Injuries Association, VMware, the Wellbeing Symposium WNS Global Services, the Youth Sport Trust, Zurich Insurance Group.
