Inverness schoolgirl Samantha Slaven said she is still “shocked” after winning a free holiday on the final episode of Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.
The 12-year-old and her friends Millie, Katie, Charlotte and Brooke were over the moon when they went live to a hidden camera in her living room, where they were watching the show with Samantha’s mum Elisabeth.
Samantha is a full-time wheelchair user who has spina bifida, a condition that happens when a baby’s spine and spinal cord do not develop properly in the womb, causing a gap in the spine.
Described by her mum as “a fighter,” the young Invernessian found in sport a way to overcome her obstacles and develop friendships.
Samantha Slaven ‘shocked’ to win holiday on Saturday Night Takeaway
Elisabeth Slaven told The P&J that the network contacted her a couple of weeks ago after hearing about Samantha’s story.
Samantha was asked to come to a wheelchair basketball taster session after her mum started chatting with Inverness Lions basketball coach Bryan Stevens at a spina bifida event.
Mrs Slaven said: “I told Bryan, who also has spina bifida, how much Samantha would love to play basketball and he organised a training.
“She loved it, but it was just her and Bryan on one side of the court. A few girls then approached and said it was a shame she couldn’t play games or tournaments.”
The proud mum explained that they started playing with Samantha using some spare adult wheelchairs and have continued to do so to this day.
The five teammates were left speechless after they saw their faces coming up on Live TV.
Mrs Slaven had previously told them to come home for a pre-season get together and some pizzas.
Special moment for friends
She said: “They were confused because I kept telling them not to move from the sofa when they wanted to walk around the house.
Samantha admitted she was puzzled as they don’t really watch TV at home.
She explained: “When I came home my first thought was: ‘what is my mum watching?’ as we don’t really watch TV and I had never seen the show before.
“I also wondered why she kept asking us to sit on the sofa to watch it with her.”
The 12-year-old revealed she is very excited to go on holiday with her friends.
She said: “They are my best mates. I want to have some quality girl time.”
‘My dream is to be in the Olympics one day’
Samantha’s mother said her daughter never hid her aspirations for basketball.
On Saturday, hours before the show aired, she went to Edinburgh for a training session with Scotland’s U14 National Wheelchair Basketball team.
Mrs Slaven explained: “She was invited to a training session as Bryan has recently become a coach for the under 14.
“She has been told she’s maybe on the path of selection, so she may not get chosen for Scotland this year, but if she keeps it up there’s a good chance she’ll make it next year.”
Samantha told the Press and Journal that her dream is to be in the Olympics one day, although she added that “she just wants to keep playing basketball.”
She revealed how basketball has changed her life.
“When I play basketball, I feel a connection with people, which comes after years of not meeting anyone and feeling no one understood my disability,” she explained.
The young star continued: “I used to be very quiet and now I’m a little chatterbox.
“Basketball gave me confidence to talk to people.”
