Worcester Warriors Mat Gilbert was diagnosed as deaf at the age of five – though his hearing continued to deteriorate, his rugby career went from strength to strength while he has also played 11 times for the England deaf rugby team.
Now 30-years-old, the former Bath player’s hearing loss was diagnosed at the age of five, although he suspects he was born with it.
He can register a noise of 100 decibels, such as produced by a lawn mower or low-flying plane, but struggles with high frequencies and “wouldn’t hear at all in a hearing test.”