Reality TV star Chloe Lewis, known for her role on The Only Way Is Essex, is campaigning for the UK Government to make protective gloves compulsory for children ice skating, after her six-year-old son lost part of his finger in a New Year's Eve accident.
Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Lewis described receiving the news as 'the call that no parent ever wants to receive about their child, that they've been in a terrible accident.' Her son Beau was taken to the Royal London Hospital, where surgeons tried unsuccessfully to reattach the tip of his finger. 'Now we're in a situation where the finger has gone back on and it hasn't survived. So yeah, he has lost the top half of his finger,' she explained.
Lewis praised her son's resilience, saying he has 'taken it in his stride' and was excited to show his school friends his finger. She launched a petition calling for mandatory gloves, which has gained over 24,000 signatures. The Government must respond once it reaches 10,000 signatures, and if it hits 100,000, the matter will be considered for a parliamentary debate.
Although the accident did not occur at a Planet Ice rink, the company has announced that from June 1, protective gloves will be compulsory for children under 12 at their venues. Lewis hopes to 'change the law and make it better for other children – and safer.'
