AN INSPIRATIONAL swimming teacher beat the odds to become a record breaking paralympic athlete...and is now looking forward to becoming a mum.

Jo-Jo McQueen, 27, from Southend, has her left elbow, lower arm, wrist and hand missing, a deformed left shoulder, fused spine with scoliosis, shortened tendons in both ankles and has arthritis in her right wrist.

She also lives with other conditions such as vision difficulties and a leaky heart valve.

But despite these difficulties, the ever-positive teacher qualified for the paralympics multiple times and was awarded the title of Swimming Teacher of the Year from Swim England.

The former swimmer works as Swim School Manager and Head Swim Teacher at Fusion’s Clements Hall Leisure Centre, in Hawkwell.

And to add to her joy, she and her husband have also just been successful with assisted fertility and are expecting their child, despite being told previously they would not conceive.

Jo-Jo said: “I got into swimming, as my playgroup had weekly lessons that I wasn’t allowed to go to due to so-called risk factors, so my mum insisted that I learn to swim.

“From then I loved it, and was a total water baby.

“By the time it got to primary school lessons I was the best in the class.

“To start with, even TeamGB selection is a huge thing – it doesn’t automatically result in international competition, but you get invited to training camps and get help with training advice, support and coaching.

“But then competing is another world with TeamGB, I cannot describe the pride and weight that you carry.

“There is nothing to describe it. I’d now love to be involved in getting the next generation of elite athletes to that point and beyond.

“Each 1,500m was different, each training build-up and each personal target.

“But one stands out, I had no team mates and my coach came with me to support me as it had been a tough few months in terms of training, competition and my personal life, I went with little confidence and ended up absolutely smashing the time.

“The entire pool erupted and it felt like everything had finally come together.

“To qualify for the Paralympics in 2008 and 2012 was brutal.

“Qualifying and not being selected is horrible.

“I worked so hard and thought it had all worked out, and then was not picked for the games.

“But I hold my head high on the other side of things as I know I pushed as hard as I could have.”

Mrs McQueen said paralympic sport is very complicated.

On both occasions she qualified but the disability category only took two spots for each event.

The spots are decided on a variety of aspects, not just times on the day of qualifying.

She said: “There is so much fabulous and lovely stuff that happens every single day, if you focus on the rubbish – you’ll never get to see the good stuff!

“So if I get down, I’m only hurting myself and making things worse. Swimming used to give me focus, now I can’t wait to be a mum!

“The journey to having a baby was difficult. But then most good things in my life have been hard to get. This will the best and most worthwhile one yet.”