Former A Place in the Sun presenter Danni Menzies left her social media followers stunned after taking a bracing festive dip in a freezing Scottish loch.
Boxing Day bravery in a red bikini
The 37-year-old television personality, who left the popular Channel 4 property show in 2022, shared footage of her wild swim on Boxing Day. Clad only in a festive red bikini and a Santa hat, Menzies braved the icy waters with characteristic enthusiasm.
In the video, she began wrapped in a thick white dressing gown before dropping it to wade into the chilly loch. "Christmas dip," she declared before entering the water. The clip showed her running triumphantly back to shore, quickly wrapping up again and wishing her followers a "Merry Christmas".
Fan reaction and a journey of resilience
Her 135,000 Instagram followers were quick to praise her cold-water tolerance. Comments ranged from "Definitely tougher than me" to confirmations of the water being "baltic". Others expressed bafflement at the concept of cold-water swimming during the festive season.
This display of resilience comes after a profoundly challenging period for Menzies. After leaving A Place in the Sun to explore new opportunities, she suffered a life-altering moped accident in October 2022. The incident left her with permanent scarring and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In a further blow, she revealed her partner at the time ended their relationship via text the day after the accident. "I was dating someone and he ended it the day after the accident via text, when I looked like Shrek. That was pretty brutal," she told The Sun's Fabulous podcast.
Finding strength and moving forward
The former presenter has spoken openly about the impact these events had on her confidence, even admitting to using photo-editing apps to conceal her scars when she returned to posting on Instagram. In an emotional post, she reflected on her recovery, writing: "What hurt you once made you stronger. That's what scars do. They remind us of where we've been but they don't have to dictate where we're going."
Menzies had previously cited the desire for a more stable personal life as a reason for her career shift, telling The Sun in March 2022 that the constant travel for the show made maintaining a relationship difficult. Her icy Christmas dip in the Scottish loch stands as a vivid symbol of her personal strength and embrace of new challenges following her departure from daytime television.
