Competing in The Amazing Race: Celebrity Edition was particularly special for mother-and-daughter Angie and Alli Simpson, who were simply happy Alli could walk after an accident left her with a broken neck in two places.
“My doctor said I could have sneezed, and would have paralysed myself,” Alli, 25, tells TV WEEK. “I had angels with me that day.”
Two years ago, Alli – a singer, model, actress and host – dived into a shallow pool, hitting her head on the bottom. It hurt, but she went three months before getting it checked out.
“On New Year’s Eve, I started getting pins and needles from the waist down,” she reveals. “I didn’t feel good about it, so wanted to get an X-ray. When the doctor saw it, they put me straight in an ambulance.”
“The neurosurgeon said they’d never seen anything like it,” children’s-book author Angie, 53, explains. “It was a miracle she could have walked around like that and not been seriously harmed.”
The pair had an incredible time in the race, and for “momager” Angie it was also a healing experience.
“I got divorced a couple of years ago,” the mother-of-three explains.
“Going through the ups and downs of finding yourself again has been challenging, so I wanted to do something outside the box and find the old me.”
Angie has been candid about her desire to find love again, and while she’s been approached to be on shows such as My Mum Your Dad and The Real Housewives Of The Gold Coast (which is rumoured to be in the works), she’s turned them down.
“I’d rather meet someone organically,” she declares. “But it’s really hard – you’ve either got to meet them through your friendship circles or wait for someone to break up.”
