GEORGE BAKER was a jockey who had it all – until one fall changed his life and convinced him he was never going to be the same again.
A hotshot in the saddle with earnings just shy of £12million, Baker travelled the world banging in big winners for big trainers and even bigger cheques.
But his career and entire world came crashing down in February 2017 when he suffered a devastating fall at St Moritz's 'white turf' meeting in Switzerland.
Racing across a frozen, snow-covered lake, Baker smashed into the unforgiving surface below and suffered bleeding on the brain.
The extent of his injuries was so devastating that he had to learn to walk again, describing himself as a '34-year-old baby'.
He was allowed to return home two months later but had to endure post-traumatic amnesia as he clung o nto hope he would be able to race again.
Unfortunately, Baker was told another fall would have catastrophic consequences.
He was lucky to have survived this one.
And so a career that had already delivered a St Leger, Prix du Cadran and Champion Fillies' and Mares' Stakes and promised so much more was cruelly cut short.
Baker, who now appears regularly on Racing TV, has bravely opened up on the devastation the fall caused and how he came to terms with his new life.
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Speaking to rwkgoodman.com, Baker – who once rode a horse called George Baker for trainer George Baker to victory – told of how he broke down in tears in front of wife Nicola when he knew his career was done.
He said: "I started crying in the car and knew that was the day that 'George the jockey' was over.
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"I still get emotional about it now. It was something I loved doing. I was getting paid to do my hobby.
"There have been character-building moments in life and that was one of them.
"It has been an incredibly hard journey not just me but for the people around me.
"It has been a massive change, I am not the same person as before.
"You will never be fixed, but I am adjusted to the new George."
The Injured Jockeys Fund's Oaksey House was a scene of much despair and hope as Baker tried to get some back to some sort of normality.
But issues he had never even thought of were thrust to the forefront.
He explained: "I had never put anything in place for if something should happen to me, such as power of attorney and joint bank accounts.
"You do not allow yourself to think that would happen – or not being able to make sure the mortgage is being paid on a monthly basis.
"For my wife it was terribly hard as I was the money-earner at the time.
"It is bad enough planning for retirement but having an unplanned retirement is really difficult to cope with."
Another added issue was simply learning to walk again.
Baker said he was like a giant baby finding his first steps.
He added: "I was like a 34-year-old baby learning to walk again.
"Luckily I was fit, young and healthy when I had the fall."
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Some people don't get a second chance – and Baker is making his count.
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