The inspiring tale of Dr Neil Hopper, a double-leg amputee surgeon who said he defied sepsis to go to the brink of space exploration, captivated the nation.
The Welsh-speaking doctor's journey from near-death to national recognition was chronicled in an S4C documentary, propelling him into the spotlight.
He featured in newspaper articles, gave radio interviews, and even appeared on ITV's This Morning alongside Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford.
But beneath the widespread admiration and public acclaim lay a troubling reality.
Hopper was in contact with Marius Gustavson, known as the “Eunuch Maker”.
Gustavson was behind a disturbing cult of surgical sadism and a hidden world where men paid to witness mutilation.
On Thursday, Hopper, who carried out hundreds of amputations, admitted to possessing extreme pornography from Gustavson.
He also admitted lying to insurers over the removal of his own legs.
Broadcast on 26 February 2023, the documentary Drych: Camau Tua’r Ser painted a portrait of Hopper as a man reborn through hardship.
After a period of treatment following sepsis he said he had developed in 2019, Hopper lost his toes and much of the skin on the underneath of his feet.
That led to the decision to amputate both of his legs, he said in the documentary.
“Signing the consent forms – well, there aren’t words to describe how I felt,” Hopper said.
“I remember imagining the operation – operations which I do all the time, and thinking that power tools were going to be used on me. That was really difficult to process.
“I was in hospital for about six or seven weeks. The physical changes in my body were fairly easy to understand, but what I didn’t understand were the psychological changes and how hard it was just to fit back into family life.”
However, he said receiving his prosthetic legs marked a turning point and allowed him to resume the career he loved.
The legs also allowed him to follow his dreams of becoming a parastronaut.
At the time, he was told that he had better reconsider his career, as it would not be “possible or practical” for him to return to surgery.
“I was determined to go back to work,” he said.
“I wanted to prove that they were completely wrong. Throughout my career I’d always tried to imagine what it was like to have an amputation, so I didn’t expect to get the answer.
“You won’t have a chance to see what it’s like on the other side of the knife. My experience has made me think more about how I communicate with patients. I believe it has made me a better doctor.”
In February 2021, a call came from the European Space Agency for people to fill the newly advertised astronaut position as part of their Parastronaut Feasibility Project.
Hopper had always had a great interest in things related to space, so the role struck a chord, and he decided to apply.
In December of that year, he was told that he had been selected for the recruitment process.
“When I saw the advertisement from the European Space Agency for a parastronaut, I had to put in an application,” he told S4C.
“The criteria were quite specific; you had to have a doctorate in engineering or medicine, you had to have a disability below the knee, and you had to speak a second language – hey, Welsh.
“At first my wife Rachel thought I was completely crazy.”
Hopper lost out to British Paralympian John McFall but told BBC Radio Cornwall that having gone quite far into the process, he had begun to fear being selected and not returning from space.
“My wife was interested in what the insurance payout would be if the rocket blew up,” he joked.
But behind the polished prosthetics and public inspiration betrayed a more sobering reality.
This documentary, unknowingly, would become the high point before a stunning fall.
Within weeks, Hopper was no longer working at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust and restrictions were placed on his practice.
He was later suspended from the medical register.
Police investigations found that his legs had been amputated as a result of self-inflicted injuries to his own feet, rather than from developing sepsis.
The vascular surgeon, who had carried out hundreds of amputations himself, also purchased three depraved videos by Gustavson showing genital mutilation.
Before long, Hopper was not just watching and paying. His fantasy had become real life, with his own body the victim.
And when his world came crashing down in the spring of 2023, his decisions would ultimately cost him everything.
As his Instagram biography states: “12% robotic 100% idiot.”
