Katy Hill has revealed a “horrendous” fall she suffered at home 18 months ago could have been fatal.
The former Blue Peter presenter said the accident left her with a large scar in the middle of her forehead.
She told Hello! magazine: “I was messing about and racing my daughter to the toilet when my sheepskin boot caught the top step and I flew across the floor and face-planted the toilet lid.
“It was horrendous; the doctors were stitching me up for an hour.
“Apparently the skull is really thin just above the eyebrow and to the side and they were telling me how people have been killed just by someone throwing a magazine at them, so I feel incredibly lucky.
“I realised how life can change in a split second.”
The TV star, who celebrated her 50th birthday last month, said the accident fuelled her in her new career as a personal development coach.
She said: “I almost feel like life has come full circle.
“On Blue Peter I encouraged others to play big and face their fears and that’s what I do now.
“I used to get so many letters from girls, and now a lot of those same girls come to me for coaching and they feel like they’ve come on the journey with me.
“It’s so lovely to be able to empower and encourage them as women.”
Hill added she wants to mark her 50th birthday by climbing Mount Snowdon and riding the world’s fastest zip line, and said: “This is the threshold of a whole new adventure.
“I think a lot of people hit 50 and it’s the same old, same old, but I can’t wait for the next chapter.
“If you hit a big milestone birthday and you’re not fulfilled and you’re not living the life you want – you feel like you’re on a hamster wheel – that’s when it would hit hard.
“We’re almost casual about life but it’s such a gift.
“What I love about turning 50 is you have a confidence that only comes at this age. I really don’t care what people think of me now.
“I wish we could give our 20-year-olds this same sense of self.”
The full interview is in Hello!, out now.