The woman who everyone saw regain her hearing is now losing her sight

Haven’t I heard of Jo Milne before?

Possibly, yes. Ms Milne hit the headlines last year after the extraordinary moment she was able to hear for the first time was caught on camera. Millions of people have since watched the astonishing clip of the 40-year-old, who was born profoundly deaf, having her cochlear implants turned on.

Remind me about the moment she was first able to hear…

What were those first hours like?

After feeling “sick with excitement and worry”, Ms Milne said the world seemed to “come alive”. She added: “Alone in my house the next day, I marvelled at everyday noises. I’d assumed when the TV and radio were off there’d be silence, instead the ticking of the clock, chirping of the birds outside – even my breath – buzzed in my ears.”

Why is she back in the spotlight?

Ms Milne, who suffers from Usher syndrome, is embarking on a challenge to complete a bucket list of things she wants to do before she loses her sight. Her remarkable story is also being turned into a play.

Why is her vision impaired?

Her eyesight has gradually deteriorated since the cochlear implant operation. She now has a guide dog called Matt and has had to give up driving. “My sight loss is like a ticking time machine and I want to make the most of every day,” she said.

So what is on her bucket list?

Ms Milne hopes to see the seven wonders of the world before her sight deteriorates further. She also wants to meet Sir Paul McCartney, learn to play the piano, see the Mardi Gras in Brazil and go to Glastonbury Festival. And she hopes to raise £45,000 for deaf children in the UK.

What else has she been up to?

She has written an autobiography and is an ambassador for the Hearing Fund UK. She is also planning a campaign to make sign language a compulsory subject in British schools.

More: Watch the moment a baby born deaf hears for the first time