Will Bayley's Biography

Will Bayley was born in Kent in 1968. He was born with arthrogryposis, a congenital disorder which affects all four of his limbs.

He had his first operation at just 3 months. Several more were to follow.

Additionally, when he was seven years old, Will Bayley had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

When Will was 11 years old, he joined Byng Hall Table Tennis Club and at 16 he was representing Kent men’s team of able-bodied players.

He went on to win gold at table tennis at the Rio Paralympics in 2016.

In January 2017 Will Bayley was awarded an MBE for services to table tennis.

In 2019, he became of the contestants on Strictly Come Dancing.

He was paired with Janette Manrara.

Will was injured and so he and Janette got a pass in the fifth week. However, he had to pull out of Strictly soon after.

He later said that he suffered injuries that still affected him five years on.

In 2022, he took part in the BBC Two series Pilgrimage.