Paralympic star takes up new challenge at the House of Lords

DAME Tanni Grey-Thompson welcomed her appointment to the House of Lords yesterday with pride and a large dose of disinterest from her eight-year-old daughter.

The 11-time Paralympic champion, one of Britain's greatest disabled athletes, said: "I tried to explain it to Carys and said I might be getting a new job. She was not interested. I tried to explain to her what was happening and she just said, OK.

"The only time she seemed to get excited was when I said I would be working in the Houses of Parliament at the place where Big Ben is. Being called a Baroness still sounds a little bit strange, to be honest."

Since retiring from wheelchair racing in 2007 Dame Tanni has become a powerful voice in sports administration and disability rights.

The Cardiff-born Paralympian, who studied politics at Loughborough University because the institution did not offer law, finds this new political challenge appealing because it is something very different for her. Dame Tanni, 40, said: "I think it is about being at the heart of the debate.

"I would like to think that I am right about everything but I know I am not. I retired three years ago without looking back, knowing it was the right time and knowing what I wanted to do.

"This is a huge opportunity, not just for British sport but for different people. I am an ex-athlete. I am a mum. I have a disability and it all combines to give a different perspective."

She has not yet decided on her full title but is determined it should be linked to her Welsh roots. Her interests will lie, she predicts, in disability rights, access and education where "there is still a lot of challenges".

"I feel like I am back at square one – as an athlete you know exactly what you are doing and you know the game," she said.