Tom Bridge is 24, a builder by trade, a traveller with a taste for sleeper buses and street food – and someone who recently decided, on national television, to talk openly about having cerebral palsy (CP).
His story isn’t neat or polished. It’s not about one big “defining moment.” Instead, it’s shaped by small adaptations, daily resilience and the decision to stop hiding what makes him different. Tom’s message is simple: CP is part of who he is – but it doesn’t have to be the headline.
“It Feels Like My Brain Is Disconnected From My Hand”
Tom has hemiplegic CP that affects the right side of his body, particularly his hand. “It feels like my brain is disconnected from my right hand,” he explains. It’s something he’s lived with since birth, so adaptation is second nature: brushing his teeth with his left hand, packing bags more slowly, finding workarounds for fine motor tasks.
For years, he avoided talking about it – especially in public. That changed when he joined the cast of a race-around-the-world series. He knew episode four would reveal his CP to millions of viewers. “I was really nervous… it went from hardly anyone knowing to everyone knowing overnight.”
The Power of Visibility
The response stunned him. “So much of it was really positive,” Tom says. Messages arrived from parents of children with CP, adults with similar conditions and even friends who’d never fully understood. One text, from a close friend whose brother also has CP, stuck with him:
“He watched the episode and was happy to hear that someone as cool as me had the same thing as him. That meant a lot.”
For many, Tom’s simple description of CP – the brain and right hand out of sync – offered language they’d never had before. “If I’d been asked at six to explain what I had, I wouldn’t have had a clue,” he says. “Now I’ve realised a lot more people have almost the exact same thing as me.”
Beyond the Label
Tom’s biggest fear was always being defined by his disability. “I worried people wouldn’t say ‘that’s Tom’ but ‘that’s Tom with CP.’”
He still feels the tension when meeting new people, but speaking out has shifted something. “If people are going to define me that way, that’s up to them – but that’s not how I describe myself.”
His advice to others struggling with identity is blunt but empowering:
“Use it as a motivator to make something else define you. Find something hard to work at that you want to be known for. You can’t change that you’ve got CP – but you can change how people see you.”
The Cliff Edge of Adult Care
Like many disabled people, Tom has experienced the drop-off in support once childhood services end. Paediatric care is often structured and proactive. Adult services? Far less so. “I don’t really know what support is out there,” Tom admits. “You just sort of get on with it.”
What he has learned is that many adults with CP are left to self-manage – often without check-ups, ongoing therapy or even recognition that CP affects adults differently than children. “It feels like you only get attention if it’s extreme,” he says. “Otherwise, you’re invisible.”
Work, Perception and Practical Barriers
Tom works as a local builder and handyman. His colleagues are older, many in their sixties. When they saw the show, they were surprised. “One of them asked the most polite questions – he just wanted to understand.”
He believes workplaces need more openness, not pity. “I don’t need to be treated like I can’t do something. I just need people to give me the time to work it out in my own way.”
Systems That Still Need to Catch Up
When asked what he’d say if given a microphone in front of government or media, Tom pauses. “I don’t know what everyone else needs, because I’ve only just started talking about it myself,” he says. But he is clear about one thing:
“What would help most is more recognition – and more understanding. That goes for CP and for all disabilities, visible or not.”
Recognition, to him, is about being seen as a whole person. Understanding means space to adapt, rather than assumptions about what he can’t do.
Finding Freedom in Travel
Tom and his mum’s journey took them from China to Nepal and down through India – where £1.50 thalis, local bus rides with chickens and strangers’ kindnesses became highlights. He remembers a government bus station manager in Ahmedabad, Jolly Lucas Christian, who rerouted a coach just so Tom and his mum could get seats. “He didn’t have to – but he did. It made our day.”
These experiences reinforced something Tom already knew: the world is more open than people assume. “Travel teaches you self-confidence,” he says. “Believe in yourself – and then you can start believing in others.”
Advice to Young Disabled People
Asked what he’d tell a younger version of himself – or any young person with CP – Tom doesn’t hesitate:
“Don’t shy away from it. Everyone has something they’re nervous about. This is just yours. Use it to push yourself, not hold yourself back.”
What’s Next
Tom and his mum already dream of their next trip – Kazakhstan is high on the list. For now, though, he’s focused on living authentically, telling his story and encouraging others with CP to find pride, not shame.
“Ten-year-old me would never believe this,” he says. “But I’ve learned CP is part of who I am – and it doesn’t have to define me. That’s the difference.”