Alison Lapper on life, art, parenting and grief

Alison Lapper was pregnant with her son Parys when she famously – and controversially – posed naked for a statue that was displayed on Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth in 2005. Alison was born with phocomelia, meaning she has no arms and shortened legs, and uses her mouth to create her artwork. Her career was tragically interrupted in 2019 when her son, Parys, died aged 19. He had developed severe mental health issues and died of an accidental overdose. In this moving interview, Alison tells Emma Tracey why it’s taken her five years to start to process her grief and the exhibition she has put together about her son, called Lost in Parys. She also talks about the making of Alison Lapper: In My Own Words - a new BBC documentary about her life which you can watch on BBC iPlayer. Presenter Emma Tracey Producer Daniel Gordon Mixed by Dave O’Neill Editors: Beth Rose and Ben Mundy If you have been affected by any of the topics discussed in this episodes you can visit BBC Actionline for more support. The Access All team love to hear from you. You can email [email protected] or find @bbcaccessall on X and Instagram.