Conservative MP Virginia Crosbie on how tragedy made her strong

"People always say to me that I must be really tough and I'm not. I'm strong."

Recently-elected Ynys Môn MP Virginia Crosbie has been through a lot - at 18 she nearly died in a car crash in Turkey.

The Tory politician told BBC Walescast, she was "very happy to talk" about her the experiences that shaped her.

She said: "I want people to sort of think: 'Do you know what, if Virginia can become an MP then anyone can'."

Following the car crash, she needed "a lot" of surgery on her face. Her last operation was just three years ago.

The 55-year-old said: "It was really hard starting university, having to have so much surgery.

"Half my head was shaved and you're trying to make an impression with people, you're trying to make new friends."

Years later Ms Crosbie, originally from Essex, worked for HSBC and travelled the world.

Sometimes that meant 24-hour flights to Australia.

She was still working for the bank when she became pregnant with for the second time.

Her doctors were worried about the baby's heartbeat.

The mum-of-three said: "I walked into work, and it was so important to me that I kept that baby, that I actually resigned.

"And then, unfortunately, a few days later I lost the baby, so it was a very difficult time for us."

In 2018 her brother Simon took his own life.

She has since campaigned on mental health issues something, she said, was close to her heart.

"We were very, very close together," Ms Crosbie said.

"And I mentioned him actually in my maiden speech [in the House of Commons], and I said one of the people that I would love to have listened to my speech wasn't there."

It was never a long-term plan to become an MP.

"We didn't talk about politics at home," said Ms Crosbie.

"And so it was a real surprise to my friends and family that I got involved."

As a teenager, she wanted to be a TV presenter.

Hoping for her big break, she wrote to programmes, including BBC children's series Animal Magic.

They said she was too young for a presenting job but they said they needed help with the dolphins, seals, and sea lions.

So off she went.

"They say never to work with animals and children but I survived," Ms Crosbie said.

"And I think it's given me a really good grounding in how to deal with the House of Commons."

But there was very little preparation for standing for election on Ynys Môn in 2019.

She was chosen as Conservative candidate at the last minute, and remembered taking a call asking her to stand on the island.

It took her "one nanosecond" to decide.

Ms Crosbie said: "My grandfather is from Wales, my father went to school in Monmouth, and it was very important for me to represent Wales. And I believed it was winnable."

Ynys Môn was one of six Welsh seats the Tories took from Labour in that election as the party recorded its best result in Wales since 1983.

But less than three years after winning an 80-seat majority for the Conservatives, Boris Johnson is standing down as prime minister.

Ms Crosbie was the first Welsh Conservative MP to publicly call on him to resign.

"He was letting down all of us and some of us in very, very challenging seats," she said.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has her backing in the battle to become the next Conservative leader and prime minister.

"What we're going to see, with whoever is our new prime minister in September, is a need to focus on bringing the party together," Ms Crosbie said.

Having settled her family on Anglesey, she is trying to learn Welsh.

This has proven "a real challenge" she said.

She is committed to defending her seat at the next election and is focusing on bringing jobs to the island.

A new nuclear power plant is at the top of her wish list.

"I'm doing everything that I can to make sure that we can get Wylfa over the line," she said.

At the start of the year, Stena Line, which operates Holyhead's port said it had seen a 30% drop in traffic as a result of Brexit.

Ms Crosbie said the the whole of the UK voted to leave and "we need to work together."

"We have to make it work," she said.

Perhaps even trickier question is revealing her favourite place on the island.

"Such an unfair question!" said Ms Crosbie, "I'm going to upset so many people!"

It's The White Eagle pub in Rhoscolyn.

Walescast is on BBC One Wales at 22:40 BST on Wednesday, 17 August, or listen on BBC Sounds.