Desirèe Henry – Favourite Things
Desirèe Henry is a British sprinter who competes in 100 and 200 metres races. In the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, she won a bronze medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay, and in the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London, she won silver in the 4 x 100 metres relay race. In 2012, she was one of seven who lit the Olympic cauldron at the London Opening Ceremony after being nominated by Olympic champion decathlete Daley Thompson.
These are a few of Desirèe Henry’s favourite things…
My sausage dog
I have a 3-year-old sausage dog called Henry, which is the same as my last name, so his name is actually Henry Henry. I’ve always been an animal person and had hamsters, rabbits but a dog is a big responsibility. The good thing about Henry is that he can travel with me. I got him when I was living in the Netherlands, and he travelled with me to America and now is here in the UK; when we went to Florida I got him a little sunhat and everything, he doesn’t know how lucky he is to have travelled so much. In an athlete’s life, stability is really important and whilst my friends and family often can’t travel with me, it’s great to always have him there.
My muscles
Years ago this definitely wouldn’t have been a favourite thing of mine. As a woman there is a fine line between being fit and healthy and being considered “too muscular” or “too big” — those are the phrases you hear a lot. Now, I would say I am in those categories and rather than seeing it as a negative thing, I love it. My muscles show off my hard work and hours of dedication to the sport, and time in the gym. It’s a representation of who I am — a professional athlete. Before, I would be self-conscious of that but I have learnt to love it; if you don’t see anyone online or in magazines that look like you, be your own inspiration and goals for what you look like because, ultimately, when you look in the mirror you see yourself, not the supermodels. I want to help and inspire other young women to become comfortable in themselves. If someone is stressing about putting on muscle, I want them to think well, Desirèe has muscle and she’s been to the Olympics and won a medal, so these muscles are a good thing.
Watching black shows
There is nothing like seeing yourself or someone who looks like you on television. I watch shows like Moesha, Insecure, Power and Black–ish, where the characters often have great jobs and are successful. It’s not your stereotypical slavery type stuff, it is just black people portrayed in a positive light, doing things I can relate to on a day to day basis. They are comforting for me, I can switch off my brain and live curiously through characters on the screen, enjoying their life. I’m so glad to be living in an era where I can name not one show like this but several.
Chocolate biscuits
Everyone has a weakness when it comes to certain sweet treats. As a professional athlete, I don’t get the opportunity to have sweet treats that often, but when I do it’s always a chocolate digestive. It’s very British of me, I have to dunk it in a cup of tea. It makes me feel happy, there are plenty of other biscuits, but I’ll always choose the chocolate digestive.
Changing my hair
I love to express myself when it comes to my hair. Every month it is either a new colour or a new length. As an athlete, other than performing, there are never really any opportunities to express who you are and show off your personality, that’s why I enjoy changing my hair colour or style as a small way of being myself and not being put into a box. It is a great means of self-expression. I test out all hairstyles in training, so I now know I can run with my hair down at a competition; it can be down, in a ponytail or half up, half down, and it doesn’t impact my performance. Purple is my favourite colour, so I am thinking of getting a few purple highlights next.
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