How high diver Cesilie Carlton conquered her fears of heights to become world champion
World champion high diver Cesilie Carlton admits to an unlikely fear - heights. But she overcomes her nerves to perform her stunning routines
A brief quiet envelops the House of Dancing Water Theatre as all eyes turn upwards - way, way upwards - and everyone tries to direct their focus towards the place where Cesilie Carlton is standing.
It turns out they were not the only ones. The next day Carlton is sitting in one of the VIP rooms off stage deep within Macau's City of Dreams and she is about to offer a remarkable confession for a woman who the previous night - and most nights - launches herself from a height of 17 metres into a pool of water below.
It's worth bearing in mind that Carlton has just returned from Barcelona, where the American was crowned the first world champion in the women's high dive - an event which requires competitors to take their leaps of faith from a platform poised 20 metres up.
"Look, I know this is going to sound crazy," the 32-year-old begins, leaning forward as the confession stars to flow. "But I have a pretty good fear of heights going on when I am up there. A lot of people have been saying it's vertigo but it's not - it's a fear of heights. A pretty significant fear of heights."