Charlie has raced successfully in single seaters, GT cars and prototypes at international level for nearly two decades. She started out in motorsport with just £1,500 from a summer job, and It’s been ‘a journey’ as they say.
She didn’t come from a racing family, has never competed in a go-kart, and had to find every penny herself to fund her ambition. As if that wasn’t enough, Charlie also realised she was transgender at a young age. Since transitioning in 2012, she has had to navigate one of the most male dominated and testosterone fuelled environments in modern sport, the race paddock.
Never someone to shy away from a challenge, after three years racing in France, Charlie drew on all her resilience and took the bold decision to come out publicly on Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV) in March 2018. She wanted to use her experience to create more acceptance for all LGBTQ+ people, to blaze a trail and inspire hope for those following in her footsteps.
Her work has gained significant traction, she is an ambassador for leading LGBTQ+ charities Stonewall, Mermaids, Racing Pride and Athlete Ally, and also works with governing body Motorsport UK to increase inclusion. She is a trusted voice for trans inclusion in sport, regularly representing the community on televi- sion interviews, and speaking most recently on BBC4’s Across the Red Line programme with Sharron Thomas.
In 2021 she was featured in the Vogue 25. British Vogue’s 25 ‘most influential women shaping 2021 and beyond, and has since appeared in the magazine alongside Vogue CEO Vanessa Kingori and presenter Edith Bowman.
Away from the race track, Charlie is passionate about adventure sports and exploring nature. She loves surfing and paddle boarding, trail running, hiking, cycling and snowboarding (to name a few). Charlie famously beat the wall on Ninja Warrior UK, making the semi finals on her debut of ITV’s hit series.
