Every time I wade into a swim- ming pool, a little part of me just wants to turn around and scamper back to the changing room; I feel scared and foolish. As a schoolkid, I did everything I could to avoid swimming; I faked illnesses and hid my kit. It was a combination of things that put me off: as a chubby child I didn't want to be seen in my swimsuit; I had a dispro-portional fear of soggy plasters; and the amount of lessons I skipped meant that I quickly fell behind my year group and had to join the babies. Simply, truthfully, I was terrified. I hated the feeling of my head under water, my feet off the ground.
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