Wirral Ninja Warrior star talks about journey to becoming a paralympian

• ITV Granada Reports Entertainment correspondent Caroline Whitmore went to meet the Ninja Warrior champion.

A Ninja Warrior champion who lost his leg in a motorbike accident will now be competing in the Paralympic games.

Mat Armitage, from Hoylake, was on the first series of Ninja Warrior, but after coming off his bike in July 2018, his injuries meant he had to have his lower right leg amputated.

Incredibly Mat then became the first ever amputee to beat the wall in 'Ninja Warrior UK- Race for Glory'.

He said:"I think it was around about eight years ago now, I competed in series 3 of Ninja Warrior and at the time I had both my legs.

"A couple of years after that, I lost my leg...I had my leg amputated.

"Two years after that, Ninja Warrior Race for Glory was casting."

Mat could have made the choice to keep his leg, but the majority of those who had the injuries he did would have them amputated at one point or another.

"For me it was very, very black and white about choosing to lose my leg, I saw if I kept it was gonna hold me back for the rest of my life," he said.

Mat became the first ever amputee to get up the 14 foot wall - it took him two attempts before his amputation, but just one afterwards.

"Previously a lot of amputees going on the show and doing the course - a lot of them never wore a prosthetic," he added.

"I thought the rules were you couldn't wear one...so I was made up that you could because otherwise there would have been no choice of getting up the wall."

"I got to the top of the wall and cried on national television," he said.

"I watch it back quite regularly just as a gravity check."

Mat now regularly climbs at the Boardroom climbing centre in preparation for competitions as part of Great Britain ParaClimbing Team's squad.

His debut competition is in Salt Lake City in May for the first round of the World Cup of paraclimbing.