'I broke my back, now I sell ice cream to celebs'

Doctors told Stephen Lanza he would never work, walk or drive after he was severely injured in a car crash in 1992.

But his determination to overcome his limitations has led to a successful career supplying ice cream for celebrity weddings all over the world, which has seen him regularly appear in magazines and television along the way.

"Once you've been in a situation where you can't, you make sure that you can", Mr Lanza said.

He set up Lanza's Ice Cream in his hometown of Leek, Staffordshire, in 2010, beginning with a cart in the town centre.

A regular customer soon asked him to cater for two local weddings.

"We served all the guests and that was the start, I did a few events and I was contacted by a company in Manchester who were doing celebrity weddings", he said.

"We've done Kym Marsh, we've been with Joan Collins, we've been out to Portugal to do Denise Welch's wedding."

Mr Lanza was asleep in the front passenger seat of the car when it crashed on the A500 in 1992.

"I just went out for a night out like we all do, had a little drink with some friends, got into a car which I thought was safe and I never ended up getting back home", he said.

He remembered waking up on the side of the road surrounded by flames, ambulances and fire crews.

He went into a coma, having fractured his skull and broken his back, both legs and ankles.

Mr Lanza, who also opened a women's boutique in Leek, credited his personality for helping his business to continue to grow.

"Everything is positive, everything is upbeat, considering I've come from the depths of despair. They buy into our lifestyle."

He added that recovery after the accident had been "an uphill struggle with square wheels", but said he still had more to offer.

"Some people would have given up at the first hurdle, but no, we will never give up, we will always fight on to provide a service."

Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.