When she was just 18 months old, Terri Calvesbert was the victim of a fire at her home in Ipswich, England. She suffered 90% burns but survived.
From that moment on, Terri and her parents’ lives were changed forever, though the little girl never saw herself as different from anyone else. In fact, she wasn’t; by all accounts, she was a playful child who always wore a smile.
Today, Terri is an adult living in Essex, England. In 2020, she had the joy of getting married and starting a family of her own. Here’s what she looks like now.
When Terri Calvesbert was only 18 months old, she was the victim of a terrible accident. Her mother, Julie, left a cigarette by the girl’s cot, which quickly caught fire.
Terri was engulfed in flames, but firefighters managed to save her life. When firefighter Simon Bevan first found her, he thought she was a charred plastic doll.
Terri Calvesbert – fire left her with 90 percent burns
“I have never seen anybody with extreme burns to that degree,” he said in the Channel 5 documentary The Girl With 90% Burns. “She was so badly burnt I could not extend her neck to resuscitate her, and her body was totally rock hard. No one was expecting Terri to survive.”
Terri was rushed to the hospital and given only a small chance of survival. The blaze left her with 90 percent burns across her body.
“She was normally such a brilliant sleeper, so I didn’t understand why she wouldn’t settle,” Terri’s mother Julie told The Sun.
“I never smoked in the flat, but this one night I did. I don’t know why, to this day, I did such a stupid thing.”
Julie left her cigarette in Terri’s room and walked out, talking to her baby as she went. She thought Terri would eventually tire herself out and fall asleep.
But Terri’s screams only grew louder, and Julie realized something was wrong. She rushed back into her daughter’s room to find it on fire and filled with black smoke. “I just panicked, I couldn’t see anything but smoke and flames,” Julie said, adding that she immediately dialed 911.
Required more than 40 skin grafts
“I remember running into the kitchen, filling a bowl with water, and throwing it into the bedroom, but it made no difference. So many people have said since that I should have gone in there and got her. But I panicked.”
“When it comes to that night in November, I get a horrible feeling inside. But that’s the only time it really affects me,” Terri told the Daily Mail.
“What happened does stay with me, but I’m really proud of myself for what I have achieved.”
Terri spent six months at St. Andrews Hospital in Chelmsford, England. Her extensive burns left her with only a minimal chance of survival, and she required more than 40 skin grafts.
Two weeks after the fire, the family faced even more heartbreak.
Terri’s mother was overwhelmed with guilt and decided to leave. She and Terri’s father, Paul, had separated months earlier, but Julie had moved back in because she missed Terri. After the fire, she couldn’t bear to see what had happened to her daughter, so Paul was left alone to care for Terri. Though it was incredibly difficult, he devoted himself to helping her survive and giving her as normal a life as possible.
Terri Calvesbert – growing up
Her father’s love and support were essential as she grew up.
“Me and my dad are really close, and he’s the one who comes when I go to hospital,” 12‑year‑old Terri said at the time.
“He sleeps on a bed next to mine and looks after me. He talks to me when I get upset and helps calm me down.”
“Dad used to wash and dress me too, but I don’t need as much help with that anymore,” she added. “I’m more grown‑up now, so I can look after myself.”
Terri became one of only a handful of people in the world to survive burns this extensive.
By age 12, she had undergone more than 60 operations and spent a full year in the hospital. She remembered nothing of the fire itself — only the pain of the surgeries that followed as doctors worked to rebuild her features.
The fire left her with no hair, no nose, no fingers, and only one foot. Terri has since had her lips reconstructed and will need surgeries for the rest of her life. In a 2008 interview, she had begun wearing a wig. Despite everything, she remained brave and hopeful.
Survived against all odds
“The surgeons had to put on new skin and do lots of operations on my nose and lips,” Terri said.
“My dad stays with me and takes me down to the operating theatre, but all the operations scare me and they hurt a lot.”
“The last operation I had was on my left hand to open out my fingers, but it was horrible because it got infected and I was really sick. I need eye drops too, and because I didn’t have them put in that time, my eyes were sore as well.”
Against all odds, Terri survived. Though she will likely be disfigured for life, she won the hearts of people across England with her positive spirit. In recognition, she received a Pride of Britain Child of Courage award from the Duchess of York in 2004.
Speaking to The Mirror, Terri said she “doesn’t know any different” regarding her appearance. She admitted she was nervous before starting secondary school, but friends helped her overcome her fears.
“I was really scared on my induction day because everything was so big, and I worried about what people would think when they saw me,” Terri said. “But then I sat at a table with some other children, and we started talking, and everything was fine.”
Reunited with her mother ten years later
Terri’s mother left while Terri was still in the hospital, and they didn’t speak for more than a decade. It would be understandable if Terri had felt resentment.
But years later, she showed extraordinary forgiveness. In an interview with The People, she revealed that she and her mother had reunited.
“My mum phoned Dad after she heard he was getting married to his girlfriend Nicky and said she wanted to see me,” Terri recalled.
“Now I see her every few weeks at my grandma’s house. It’s not weird at all — it’s just normal. We talk about things like school. I’m not angry with her about the fire.
“I just think I’m lucky because I see my mum, and then there’s Nicky too. It’s like I have two mums instead of one.”
Terri’s father, Paul, admitted it was difficult to accept Julie’s return but knew it was best for Terri. “We’ve all moved on now, and I wasn’t going to stop Terri seeing her mum if she wanted to,” he said.
Trust Fund and fundraising
“Terri is doing brilliantly at the moment, enjoying school and coping very well with everything,” he added.
“It’s nice to see her happy and settling in, especially after her latest operation, which was so difficult. Terri is a real inspiration, and I am very, very proud.”
In 1999, the Terri Calvesbert Trust Fund was created to support her care and provide long‑term financial security. An appeal organized by the Ipswich Star raised more than £500,000.
Terri has been overwhelmed by the support she’s received from around the world.
“The trust fund has been amazing — I’ve lost count of how much money people have raised for me,” she said. “I still get messages on Facebook from people in Canada or America. It means so much.”
Terri’s life changed forever because of the fire, but she never let it define her.
Years later, she met her now‑husband, Richard Holmes, on Facebook. They quickly fell in love.
While studying animal care at Otley College in Ipswich, Terri became pregnant. Her daughter, Poppy‑Mae, is now five.
“It’s scary to be a mum, and I never thought I would be able to be one. But it’s great, and I love it. She’s a good girl,” Terri told the Ipswich Star.
On Terri’s 21st birthday, Richard proposed. On July 18, 2020, they married in front of loved ones. Terri still receives cruel messages from online trolls because of her appearance, but nothing can stop her from being the strong, inspiring woman she has always been.
As for Richard, he is truly a special person.
“In previous relationships, my partners never really understood me or what happened to me,” Terri explained. “Obviously, I’ve only got the one leg now, but Richard took it really well, and he understands me. But no one thought we would get this far as a couple.”
“I wouldn’t take my leg off at first in front of Richard,” she added. “But he made me feel really comfortable very quickly, and now I take my wig and my leg off at night. He really does love me.” Richard described his wife as a “fighter.”
This is Terri Calvesbert today
“I could never meet a nicer woman than Terri,” he said before their wedding.
“I can’t wait to marry her, and I’m really excited about the big day. It has taken a lot of planning.”
Terri volunteers several days a week at the RSPCA charity shop in Sudbury, England. She also owns two beloved dogs and shared that she hopes to drive a specially designed vehicle someday.
“There have been difficult times over the years going through so many painful operations, but I’m so proud I’ve got to this point,” Terri said. Few people are more inspiring than Terri Calvesbert. Her bravery and positive outlook on life are something we can all learn from, and we wish her and her family the very best.
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