Desirèe Henry

Desirèe Henry is a British Olympic sprinter and an impassioned racial equality speaker whose lived experiences fuel her commitment to inspiring positive change. Currently working as a motivational speaker and advocate for wellbeing and diversity, she partners with organisations and institutions to drive conversations around inclusion and resilience. Desirèe uses her personal journey—from growing up in multicultural London to becoming an elite athlete—to highlight the importance of representation, opportunity, and mental health within marginalised communities. Her speaking engagements cover a wide range of topics including mental health and wellbeing, positivity, fitness, empowerment, peak performance, and fashion, which she blends into powerful narratives of self-belief and social equity.

Desirèe’s remarkable career began with an early passion for athletics, nurtured in her youth by strong family support and community encouragement. She gained international attention when, at just 16 years old, she won gold in the 200m at the 2011 World Youth Championships. The following year, she was chosen as one of seven young people to light the Olympic Cauldron at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Her consistent progression through junior ranks, winning medals at the European Junior Championships in 2013, marked her as a formidable sprinter and a rising role model.

Throughout her professional career, Desirèe has represented Team GB at the highest level. She won Olympic bronze in 2016, World Championship silver in 2017, and European gold in 2014, solidifying her status as one of Britain’s top relay athletes. In 2024, she added an Olympic silver medal at the Paris 2024 Games in the Women’s 4x100m Relay to her collection. Desirèe is the third fastest woman in British sprinting history, a distinction that not only reflects her athletic prowess but also her discipline and determination—qualities she now channels into her public speaking and advocacy.

As a speaker, Desirèe brings a unique lens to her topics, offering first-hand insight into how fitness and mental wellbeing intersect with issues of identity and racial equity. Her sessions on empowerment and peak performance resonate particularly with young people and professionals navigating systemic barriers. She connects themes of fashion and expression to self-worth and visibility, and consistently champions mental health, especially within communities of colour. Desirèe is hired not only for her impressive accolades but because she speaks with authenticity, vulnerability, and purpose—making her an inspiring and credible voice in the ongoing fight for racial equality.