East coast paralympic swimming champion Jessica-Jane Applegate has spoken about being snubbed by potential sponsors for not looking "disabled enough".

Miss Applegate - who was given an autism diagnosis at a young age - said she wishes the world was more inclusive for people with unseen disabilities. 

"I once had a TikTok video of me swimming during lockdown go viral and people commented under it: 'What’s wrong with you? Broken an eyelash?'", Miss Applegate told the Big Issue. 

Paralympic Gold medallist and multiple world champion swimmer Jessica-Jane Applegate.Paralympic Gold medallist and multiple world champion swimmer Jessica-Jane Applegate. (Image: Sam Mellish / Manchester 2023 Allianz Para Swimming World Championships) "People can’t see my underlying conditions – my heart, my lungs, my bones. My health conditions are endless.

"I had one brand come to me and ask, 'do you know anyone who looks more disabled than you who we could use for a TV advert?'"

 

Jessica-Jane Applegate with swimmers at the Suffolk Swimability meet in 2019.Jessica-Jane Applegate with swimmers at the Suffolk Swimability meet in 2019. (Image: Mick Howes) Growing up with "too much energy and no concentration," Miss Applegate, 27 and from Burgh Castle near Great Yarmouth, found her calling in the swimming pool.

"I love being somewhere I can be me. It is somewhere I fit in, and I love the sound of water," she said. "It’s peaceful underwater and I feel safe away from the rest of the world."

Despite her incredible success, Miss Applegate said she had faced several issues related to her non-visible disability throughout her career. She shared that sponsors had turned her away during the Paralympic season as "having a learning disability doesn’t fit their criteria".

Jessica-Jane Applegate at the 2023 World Championships in Manchester.Jessica-Jane Applegate at the 2023 World Championships in Manchester. (Image: Sam Mellish / Manchester 2023 Allianz Para Swimming World Championships) "They want someone who looks obviously disabled so that people don’t question them or say, 'there’s nothing ‘wrong’ with them', she added. 
 
The inspirational star encouraged other people with learning disabilities to "not let anyone tell you that you can’t go for your dreams". 

She added: "They are your dreams and, as long as you enjoy it, then you should go for it."

Miss Applegate broke a world record at the age of 16 during her 200m Gold medal triumph in London 2012.

Later in her sporting career, she overcame injury to qualify for the locked-down Japan 2020 Paralympics, where she secured her legacy with another Gold medal and last summer, she regained the top spot of the World Championships in the S14 200m freestyle, for the first time in a decade.