Britain’s Got Talent star Jonathan Goodwin reflects on stunt that left him paralysed

Former contestant nearly died in 2021 after falling 30 feet

Former Britain’s Got Talent star Jonathan Goodwin has reflected on the stunt that left him paralysed.

In October 2021, Goodwin performed an escapology stunt in which he planned to remove a straight jacket while hung upside down between two suspended cars 30 feet in the air.

The cars, however, were released prematurely and Goodwin was crushed between them.

His fiancée, Sherlock star Amanda Abbington, revealed the news on the podcast Out to Lunch with Jay Rayner, stating: “He fell 30 feet and lost a kidney, broke both shoulder blades, shattered both legs. Third degree burns, broke his spine and severed his spinal cord and nearly died. And then on the operating table, he nearly died again.”

She added: “He’s paralysed now, he’s in a wheelchair. Unless there’s a kind of stem cell surgery or that thing that Elon Musk is designing with the little chip, he’ll be like that forever.”

On Friday (14 October), Goodwin shared a post a year on from the accident that he said “resulted in very severe and permanently life changing injuries”.

He wrote: “A year on the cause of the accident has yet to be determined although I know I did everything I was supposed to do. I’m sure at some point we will find an answer. In the meantime do me a favour, hug those people who you love today. Hold them close and tell them how much they mean to you.”

Abbington shared her own post, writing: “A year ago, my hero and my true love went through one of the most traumatic and horrifying things a person can go through. The bravery and courage and sheer determination my better half showed during that time and continues to show is awe inspiring.

Jonathan Goodwin and Amanda Abbington

(Instagram)

“Those days last year, were the hardest forty eight hours of my life. My brilliant and wonderful soul mate always suggests, ‘Hold your loved ones tight and tell them you love them.’ Nothing is more valuable or important or vital than being with the people you love. The world can change in a second. In a second.”

Abbington had been friends with Goodwin on social media for 10 years before they started a relationship.

She said that he proposed within half an hour of meeting her.