From shopping at New Look to wearing Victoria Beckham dresses, Jade Jones’ world has certainly been turned upside down since London 2012.
Jones became an overnight sensation during the Games when they 19-year-old from Flint won Team GB’s first-ever Olympic taekwondo gold.
That honour was supposed to go Sarah Stevenson, but when she stumbled, Jones showed great composure to become the youngest of Britain’s 29 gold medallists.
She admits the four months since have been "crazy", and none more jaw-dropping when it came to picking an outfit for the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year.
Jones, normally a devotee of New Look, couldn’t believe it when the Queen of style, Posh Spice, offered her one of her creations.
"I was wondering what to wear when, through my agent, Victoria Beckham gave me one of her dresses to wear," she said. "I must admit, I usually shop at New Look and at first I was a bit unsure when I saw it because it was quite simple and it was different to what I normally wear.
"When I put it on it was very nice and I got a lot of nice comments about it. That’s just what these last few months have been like and it’s been non-stop. When I come home to Flint, I get stopped in the street and people come up to me and wish me well and say well done.
"They asked me to switch on the Christmas lights in the town and that was a special moment. Everyone has just been so lovely."
Jones’ world has been a whirl of awards dinners and celebrity events and she won the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year ahead of Gareth Bale and Wales’ Grand Slam-winning rugby team.
She topped BT’s poll on twitter for the best moment of London 2012, pipping Mo Farah winning 5,000m gold.
Jones also competed in a special Olympics Super Stars and admits she has had to make herself refocus on taekwondo ahead of the new season in 2013.
"Doing Super Stars was great fun and it was nice catching up with everyone from the Olympics," she said.
"It’s one of the best things I’ve done. I can’t say what happened, but I didn’t disgrace myself.
"You do have to stop yourself getting carried away with the whole celebrity thing and I have to remember that taekwondo is what got me here.
"This is what I do and I think things will calm down a bit now I’m back in training in Manchester.
"My first competition is the Sweden Open in February and I’ve also got the world championships next year."
Jones still finds her mind going back to the remarkable events of August 9 at the ExCeL when her long day on the mat was crowned with her throwing her headguard in the air in triumph after beating China’s Hou Yuzhou.
"It was such a long day and I was up at seven to prepare for my first fight," she said. "I knew I could win gold and I wasn’t going to settle for anything less. But in taekwondo, things can happen so quickly and it only needs one slip or kick and you’re out.
"By the time I won, it was late and then it was after 11 before we had the medal ceremony.
"It was just so fantastic and having my friends and family there to see it made it even more special."
Jones is already thinking about Rio 2016 when the Headhunter knows she will be the prized scalp.
"I want to defend my title in Rio and I know that out there I will be the one everyone wants to beat," she said. "But that just makes me more determined to succeed."
Jade Jones is an ambassador for ‘Fighting Chance’.
For more information: go to www.uksport.gov.uk/fightingchance for more details.
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