‘s newest breakfast television star would have never become a journalist if not for a life-changing accident that left him a quadriplegic.
ABC News Breakfast presenter Charles Brice grew up in Adelaide dreaming of becoming a pilot and by age 19, was well on his way to getting his flying licence when he decided to relocate to work on a mate’s family farm.
Not long after he packed up his life and moved to Loxton in the Riverland in 2010, Mr Brice went on a Saturday morning motorbike ride with his new friends.
But just a few kilometres from home, he took a bend and hit some bumpy road which sent him flying over the handlebars and he landed head first on the ground.
Unable to move or grab his phone from his pocket, he spent 30 minutes lying on the road until the group returned.
Mr Brice was airlifted to Royal Adelaide Hospital, where doctors told his devastated family that he had shattered two vertebrae in his neck, completely severed his spinal cord and only had a five per cent chance of ever walking again.
Charles Brice (right) has moved to Melbourne to became a permanent member of the News Breakfast team
READ MORE: ABC viewers hilariously poke fun at News Breakfast’s revolving cast of presenters
The morning show, which is regularly hosted by Lisa Millar and Michael Rowland (both picrtured) went through multiple changes in just four days, with presenters constantly swapping roles
Emergency surgery to fuse his C5/C6 vertebrae left Mr Brice sedated in intensive care for three weeks, and he remained on a ventilator for almost two months.
A future in journalism had never crossed his mind until that 14 month stint in rehabilitation, where watching TV helped keep him occupied.
It sparked a passion for TV news, despite the fact that reporters in a wheelchair appeared to be non-existent.
In 2019, Mr Brice began his journalism career with the ABC and within two years, made his on-camera debut.
He soon became familiar with News Breakfast viewers as the program’s South n correspondent.
Last week, Mr Brice packed up his life and moved to Melbourne to become a permanent member of News Breakfast team.
He will spend the next 12 months producing and presenting for the national broadcaster’s breakfast program.
‘Adelaide’s finest is now part of the News Breakfast studio team, and he’ll be with us for the next year both in front of and behind the camera as a presenter and producer,’ News Breakfast announced in a Facebook post on Monday.
Mr Brice is also a disability advocate and public speaker and co-founded the Wheel To Walk initiative which has raised more than $300,000 for research into spinal cord injuries.
‘I knew I wanted to do TV journalism but at the time it didn’t seem like a possibility. I had never seen anyone with a wheelchair or disability on TV,’ Mr Brice recently wrote for the NeuroSurgical Research Foundation.
Charles Brice hopes to inspire others with a disability to pursue a media career
A horror motorbike accident changed Charles’ life forever when he was 19. He’s pictured in ICU
‘It’s great to have that exposure of disability on TV and for a national audience as well.’
‘Hopefully it can open up some doors and give hope to other people going through similar circumstances.’
Mr Brice also recently shared a candid insight into the challenges of online dating for a quadriplegic and shared his dating tips.
‘There were definitely times where I thought ‘S***, would someone be willing to date me in my situation?’ he told ABC’s Hack show on Triple j.
‘I was only a few years post my injury so I probably felt a little bit – not embarrassed about my situation – but I figured if I do disclose my disability and show my wheelchair in the photos on the apps I probably wouldn’t have the success rate that able-bodied people would.
‘So I didn’t show my wheelchair at first and some people took it really well.’
He also recalled an awkward exchange with a girl he’d met online after she agreed to meet him for a drink.
Charles (pictured with Lisa Millar and Michael Rowland) is already familiar with News Breakfast viewers in his previous role as the program’s South n correspondent
‘I said ‘can I throw you a curveball?” he recalled.
‘I had a motorcycle accident and broke my neck, so I sit down more than the average person.’
The girl replied: ‘Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that but at least you can walk a little bit,’ she replied.
Mr Brice continued: ‘And that was kind of a little bit awkward moment where I had to say to her, “Look, I can’t walk at all.”
‘She was a trooper, she was great.’
Mr Brice shared the clip on his social media and was inundated with messages from female viewers after he revealed that he was single.
‘Single? Charles call me,’ one woman commented.
Charles Brice (right) has been a reporter for the ABC since 2019. He’s pictured interviewing legendary cycling commentator Phil Liggett