Welsh sporting legend Non Evans has bravely shared her harrowing experience of “agony” and a shattered sense of self following a devastating hit and run incident.
The decorated athlete’s life was irrevocably altered in September 2023 when she was struck by a car while cycling near her Mumbles, Swansea home.
She suffered severe injuries, including a complex fracture to her right wrist and damage to her shin.
The driver, an 87-year-old woman, fled the scene but was later convicted in a magistrates’ court for failing to stop after an accident and careless driving.
In a February 2024 interview, Non revealed the crash had rendered her unable to continue her work as a personal trainer, hampered her ability to perform everyday activities, and resulted in medical issues such as sepsis.
Speaking to WalesOnline in December, Non confessed to a deep loss of confidence, stating her life has been forever changed.
Now at 50, she faces ongoing complications in what feels like an interminable recovery process,
Recounting the past 10 months, Non said: “The hand wasn’t healing so I was going back and forth to Neath Port Talbot hospital, thanks to my friend for driving me.”
Non Evans, left, playing rugby for Wales (Image: Huw Evans Agency)
“An X-ray confirmed it wasn’t healing properly. They had put a pin in it and said they would operate to take the pin out and have a closer look at what was going on.
“I went back into theatre in the first week of September when the pin and my scaphoid bone, which was in bits, was removed.
“He used that as a bone graft to fuse my wrist and he put a plate in it with five screws. It means my wrist is fused in position for the rest of my life. I will never be able to do a press up again.”
Despite being grateful for the surgery, Non soon spotted signs of an infection during recovery.
Given her past brush with sepsis following a previous surgery, she took immediate action and sought medical attention, stating, “The red was rising slowly up my arm, but because I had had sepsis previously, I knew what to look out for.
“I went straight to the hospital and they put me on a drip for the second time to stop it from going further.
“It was another overnight trip at the hospital. They didn’t call it sepsis this time, they called it cellulitis. It is similar but they caught it early.”
One of Non’s hands became infected and later developed sepsis (Image: Non Evans)
Having earned 87 caps playing for Wales and decorated in judo, weightlifting, and freestyle wrestling, Non expressed how the physical toll over the last 15 months has severely impacted her mental health, especially after having her wrist fused in September.
She said: “I’m an international athlete in five different sports, it’s my life. I’m used to training every day, training other people and being a fit person. Yes I can walk and I can do certain things, but now since it’s been fused I can’t even open a tin.
“If I go out for a meal I can’t cut things. [My friend] has to cut my meat for me unless I do it left handed, which is quite hard.”
“My whole life since I was born has been training, running around, doing my sport, training others, going to the Commonwealth Games and playing rugby all over the world.
“Yes, I am retired, but it does not mean that feeling inside of me of wanting to train myself and others has gone away. Physically, I can do sit-ups and certain things, but I can’t hold a bar to do squats, for example.”
Non said the shift in her identity from being someone so active is something she is struggling to come to terms with. Tearfully, she admitted: “I am still trying to keep my fitness up but I can’t physically do what I did before because my wrist is fused and I haven’t got the strength.”
“That absence has really shaken my self-esteem and confidence. People say I still look lovely in my clothes but I miss having my muscles.
“My right forearm is now skinny. Fitness has always been a major part of who I am. It isn’t a matter of vanity, it’s about who I am.
“I’m not dying but it has changed my personality from being the confident Non Evans sportsperson MBE. Yes, I had a dip after I finished my sports career, but I picked myself back up. Now this has happened and I’ve gone downhill again. I have lost so much confidence.”
In February, Non revealed that she had taken a significant financial hit after her initial injury and pain forced her to quit her job as a personal trainer. She said she had no choice but to claim Universal Credit and accept financial support from her family.
Non Evans, one of Wales’ most accomplished sports stars, known for her extraordinary achievements in rugby, judo, and wrestling, has faced a devastating turn of events. The multi-talented athlete, who has proudly represented her nation on the global stage, has been left unable to work after a hit-and-run accident. The severity of her injuries required further surgery, resulting in her hand being fused at the wrist with metal plates. This life-altering incident marks a tragic chapter in the life of a woman whose career was defined by resilience and excellence in multiple disciplines. Her story is a stark reminder of the fragility of even the most indomitable spirits. (Image: John Myers)
Non admitted that she is still affected by her loss of earnings and now only accepts very few clients who require gentle training.
She said: “I have been helping one guy who has a new knee with some exercise and a lady who had a stroke, but it’s not full time.
“When I train people I like doing it with them, but because I can’t do it the way I used to do and want to, I don’t do it.
“I could do it half-heartedly but people come to me because of my reputation – there are millions of personal trainers out there but they like having Nonnie because I’m hands on. People probably wouldn’t mind, but I mind.”
Following a harrowing road incident that has significantly altered her life, Non expressed ire regarding the result of the trial at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on February 20.
According to WalesOnline, the court verified Joyce Forbes, 87 at the time, from Sketty, Swansea, admitted guilt to two counts – failing to halt post-accident and careless driving.
She faced a six-month driving prohibition, was fined £120, and was instructed to remit £85 in costs plus a £48 surcharge.
Non reflected on this, stating: “If I wasn’t someone so fit and strong, I might have been smashed flat out on the ground.
“There are lots of elderly people who cycle around Mumbles and if it happened to any of them they could have been dead.
“If there was a car behind her, it could have gone over me, but luckily I managed to roll across.
“And if it wasn’t for the man who ran after her car and got her number plate she might have gotten away with it.”
undefined (Image: Non Evans)
She added: “I have been speaking to a solicitor because she had a fine and a driving ban which has been over for ages.
“I’ve discussed my loss of earnings, my injuries and the damage to my bike which was worth £1,000. But it’s not just about that, it’s my life.
“The discussions with my solicitor are ongoing. Next, I will need to be assessed by an independent doctor who will judge the extent of the damage to my hand. The appointments are never-ending.
“If that incident didn’t happen to me I wouldn’t be like this and crying all the time. I didn’t leave the house for a while when it first happened because I was so embarrassed.
“I’m such a strong and powerful person and now I can’t even open a tin or take a top off a bottle. I’m even left-handed toothbrushing. I feel like an old woman who is still young.”