Fatima Whitbread: ‘I was abandoned as a baby, but I’m one of the lucky ones’

I was abandoned as a baby and left to die in our flat. A neighbour heard me crying and called the police, who broke down the door and rescued me. I spent the next 14 years living in institutions, among other traumatised children. Because of the love from my foster family and my passion for sport, I count myself one of the lucky ones.

Not a lot has improved in the care system. Governments come and go, kicking the same tin can down the road. It’s impossible to believe that the sixth largest economy in the world struggles to look after young people suffering through no fault of their own.

Auntie Rae, who worked at the care home, was my bright shining star. She was “Mum” to so many children and taught me that in giving, you receive. Encouraging me to love others swivelled my lens outwards. I stopped getting stuck in the prison of my own thoughts.

Wellbeing and self-growth is so important to me. I keep a routine, get up early, go to the gym. I listen to podcasts about people’s flights in life – it’s a wonderful way to share emotional intelligence. I’m a fairly healthy person, but a cup of tea and a slice of cake are my cardinal sins.

Sport was my saviour at school. I was always the captain and knew how to encourage my team. Once I was threatened to be thrown off the netball court for getting too noisy. Today you’d call me a motivator, but back then I was seen as rowdy.

I was a trail-blazer, world-champion, Olympian and voted the greatest female athlete at one point. Still, some were more concerned with how my muscles and physique looked. Isn’t it funny? Now every young girl wants to go to the gym.

Tessa Sanderson was my role model. The first time we met she said, “I haven’t trained my ass off to be beaten by a whippersnapper.” The press jumped on our falling out and my whole career was blighted. I tried to be friends with her, but it never happened. We have our lives to get on with now.

Having my son was my proudest moment. It was important to me that I break the cycle and be a good parent, so I put him ahead of my career. I don’t regret it. If you asked my boy today, I think he’d say he had a good start to life.

That cockroach took 40 minutes to come out of my nose on I’m a Celebrity… It hit the ground running like Usain Bolt, then keeled over. I bought it home in a plastic bottle and the British Museum put it in resin. When I deliver talks in school the kids are more interested in the cockroach than my medals.

Everyone wanted to go to Madame Tussauds in the 80s, so it was amazing when they created a waxwork of me. I was next to Ronald Reagan and Michael Jackson. They’ve melted me down now, but in my lounge I’ve still got the bronze cast of my right hand holding a javelin…

Nobody gets over trauma. You just learn to deal with it. Every day I look in the mirror and ask my younger self, “Would you ever have thought you’d be a world champion?” And I say to her, “You’ve done all right. I’m looking after you. You’ll be fine.”

Fatima Whitbread’s My Bright Shining Star is published on 24 October at £7.99. Buy it for £7.19 at guardianbookshop.com