All-action Sarah glad to be home — for good

SARAH DONOHUE outside her quit-smoking treatment centre

POWERBOAT champion and all-round daredevil Sarah Donohue is heading back to the borough for good after announcing she is to retire from the sport.

She has clinched countless titles over the years and taken on some of the toughest challenges as an athlete, but the 40-year-old former lingerie model says it’s now time to head back to Delph after years of living in London.

She said: “I’ve been away for 20 years and I now want to move back full-time.

“It changes you — you become intolerant and living in the capital you realise how genuinely lovely the people are up here.

“I plan to do two more powerboat endurance races, one next year and one in 2012, then give up.

“I’ve had a really good run for 17 years, a few accidents and I’m lucky to still be here — I’ve lost friends over the years.”

Sarah recovered from a near-fatal powerboat accident in 1999 and this year went on to do stunt work on films including The Tourist starring Jonny Depp. The dedicated athlete also plans to give up the challenging Stateside fitness challenges which saw her triumph last year and take home the gold medal, when she was the UK’s only competitor in the Women’s tri-fitness event held in Florida.

She said: “I beat the American girls last year which was tough. I want to go out on a high — If I went again I would have to win.”

She was in Oldham to launch her new venture to coincide with national no-smoking day today.

Moving from her exclusive Bond Street base in London, she is setting up a new quit-smoking holistic treatment centre at Caribbean Corner in Ripponden Road, using equipment originally used in trials by NASA.

It uses magnetic mats and high-tech frequency systems which Sarah, one of only a handful of practitioners using the treatment, says produces a 90 pert cent success rate for those wanting to kick the habit.

She said: “My grandmother had throat cancer and I’ve known people suffer over the years. Most people that have this treatment never think about a cigarette again.

“Smoking is incredibly bad for you, and it costs a lot of money. I’m really passionate about fitness.”

For more details visit www.instantquit.co.uk