Leonna Mayor: 'People have no idea what my life has been like - I've no reason to be ashamed'

This interview was originally published in July 2021. It has been republished for subscribers to mark the launch of Members' Club content on the Racing Post app.

As Leonna Mayor leads Sir Pascal towards a grassy paddock at his livery yard home in North Yorkshire, the horse suddenly stops at the sight of a large puddle. Like the handsome eventer, Mayor warns she has her own aversion to water.

"I've got a hard exterior – you won't find me crying when we start the interview," she states with a level of confidence that proves misplaced. What follows feels like a form of therapy as one of racing's most promising television performers bares her soul, sheds some tears and reveals a life story that makes her achievements look ever more laudable.