GRAND NATIONAL hero Graham Lee says he would give up every single winner he ever rode just to be able to get out of his wheelchair and hug his wife again.
The 2004 Aintree king, who also counts the Ascot Gold Cup and leading rider honours at Cheltenham Festival on his glittering CV, suffered life-changing injuries almost two years ago.
PA:Press AssociationGraham Lee did it all in the saddle as a jockey, winning the Grand National and Ascot Gold Cup as well as millions in prize money[/caption]
He had more than his fair share of falls, but it was an unseat before an all-weather race at Newcastle that changed his life foreverGetty
Lee, seen here in the early stages of his recovery, says he would trade every one of his almost 2,000 wins just to hug wife Becky, middle, again, as well as kids Amy and Robbie
A hugely popular member of the weighing room who had punters in tears when he won the world’s most famous race on Amberleigh House, Lee was placed in intensive care after a fall from Ben Macdui before an all-weather contest at Newcastle.
His life was in the balance and AP McCoy broke down in tears on live TV when talking about the injuries his mate had suffered.
But, over the months that followed, he showed the same bravery he displayed in the saddle to work his way back to some sort of existence.
A JustGiving page set up by his daughter Amy raised more than £200,000 to aid his recovery, which included endless trips to the spinal unit of Middlesbrough’s James Cook Hospital.
These days Lee remains paralysed from the neck down and spends most of his days in a wheelchair.
But the fire and desire to be there for his family still burns as bright as ever.
Lee opens up on how his life has changed in a new show on Racing TV called Graham Lee: Beyond The Fall.
And he says for all the success he had on the racecourse – almost 2,000 wins and millions upon millions in prize money – he’d give up every single one to hug his family again.
Lee said: “All I can remember (from the Newcastle fall) is the second I hit the ground.
“Our lives have changed hugely but I feel more bad for Bex (wife) and my children Amy and Robbie than I do for myself.
“Bex is an amazing lady and we have two amazing children – we’re so lucky to have them.
“I was very fortunate to ride big winners, but at the end of the day it’s only horses running around a field.
“I won the Grand National, I was leading rider at Cheltenham Festival, won the Galway Hurdle, Ascot Gold Cup, the Nunthorpe…
“But I’d give up every winner I ever rode to get up, walk out of this chair and hug my wife.”
Graham Lee: Life Beyond the Fall will be shown on Racing TV at 11.30am on Sunday, October 12
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