Walking into meet Evie Roberts for the first time was like meeting a celebrity. I’ve listened in awe to her podcast ‘Talking in the Dark’ where she’s liaised with some of the biggest stars in the world, seen videos of her rubbing shoulders with Queen Camilla, and read about her being an Isle of Man Sports Award winner this year. She is a local icon. I was starting to feel like Eminem before a rap battle in 8 Mile ahead of meeting her. My palms were sweaty.

Luckily, her lovely key worker Tasha – who happened to have the coolest haircut I have ever seen and likely ever will see (‘It’s called the wolf cut,’ she tells me) put me at ease. Turns out I had nothing to worry about. Evie is just as warm and friendly as she is talented.

If you don’t know Evie, she’s 15-years-old (we met during one of her free periods at Ballakermeen) and was born without sight.

Let’s start with the Isle of Man Sports Awards. You recently won Disability Sportsperson of the Year, how did it feel being awarded that accolade?

Oh wow, it was genuinely so surreal. It was just amazing to be in a room with so many amazing local athletes who have all achieved really amazing things. My category itself was filled with incredible athletes with various disabilities, and I think they all could be very deserving winners, so I was super surprised that I actually won it. It was the most surreal feeling, I was on cloud nine for a couple days afterwards and so many people came and congratulated me as well, which felt super cool.

You’re very humble, Evie. You won your award in Equestrianism, could you tell me about your achievements in that sport last year?

I’ve been riding since I was 5 and riding with Riding for the Disabled Isle of Man (RDA) since I was 12. They are the most amazing charity, they give incredible opportunities to people with all different disabilities from all different walks of life. Last March I was able to compete in the Virtual National Championships where your entries are recorded and sent away and you’re competing with loads of different people. I competed in Dressage that was unled, so I had no one guiding the horse. I was in total control, and I had people around the arena calling different letters, so I knew where I was going. I also did Countryside Challenge, which is a bit like an obstacle course on horseback. I had someone leading me for that at the very end of a lead rope, just telling me left and right, so I was in control. We sent my entry videos away and I ended up winning first place in both categories, which was amazing.

And do you have any competitions coming up this year?

In May, we’re going to Regionals. I’ve made the competition team this year with two other girls and our goal is to get to Nationals, which, if we qualify, will be in July.

Let’s talk about your podcast ‘Talking in the Dark’. You’ve done a whopping 71 episodes now, but how did it all start?

The original idea was from my drama teacher at the time, Mr Craig. When I was in Year 7, he came up to me and said, ‘you’ve got a voice that could work GREAT in radio’ and then a couple weeks later asked if I’d ever thought about starting a podcast. I was really apprehensive at the time, I was quite shy, I’d just started high school and wasn’t sure it was something I could do but he asked me EVERY. YEAR. So, by the time I got to Year 9, I was much more confident in myself and said ‘okay, let’s give it a go.’ I thought to myself, if I’m going to start a podcast, what do I want it to be about? As someone who is visually impaired, I thought it’d be great to discuss that to raise awareness, and then thought if we’re going to do that, let’s raise awareness about disability in general. That branched out into ‘why don’t we talk to people from all walks of life and give them a platform to share their stories.’

This could be a tricky question, but out of everyone you’ve spoken with, who were your top 3 favourite interviewees?

Oh, that’s like picking a favourite child! Stephen Fry’s got to be up there. That was January last year I spoke with him. I’ve known his voice since I was a kid because he narrates the Harry Potter books, so getting to talk to him was incredible. Nile Rodgers was also SUPER cool. He’s had an amazing life and gone through so many things. He was lovely. My third is probably a tie between Chris McCausland (of Strictly and Live at the Apollo fame) – he was so lovely and super nice to get to talk to – and for the same reasons my other third would be Ferne Cotton.

Is there anyone you haven’t spoken to that you’d love to get on Talking in the Dark?

Taylor Swift. She’s the dream guest. I don’t know how that’s going to happen but I’m trying!

It was International Women’s Day on 8 March, and you’ll be an inspiration to so many people, but which women inspire you?

There are so many women I look up to, but the main one has to be my mum. It’s just me and her so we’ve always been really close, and she is the most incredible role model. She’s been my rock all my life and helped me through so much. She’s fought for so many things for me to make sure I have the same opportunities as everyone else. She’s a superhero and an amazing mum.