- Liberty Barros was just 10 when she realised she had a unique talent
- She went on to break records, appear on TV and went viral on social media
- Now 18, she has recently launched a masterclass teaching others how to move their body, similar to yoga and meditation
Here Liberty shares her story in the first person.
Lifting my legs high into the air, I balanced on my hands.
Doing a handstand was one thing, but wanting to take it further, I bent my knees forward, dangling them over my head.
I loved showing off my tricks to my dad, Raamy, twin sister, Alyssa, and younger brother, Champ.
I hadn’t always known about my hidden talent.
As a little girl, I struggled to breathe due to issues with inflammation in my nose. The mystery condition left me wheezing and feeling ill. Instead of running around and playing with my siblings, I preferred quieter activities, like reading.
I spent hours pouring over the latest Guinness World Records book, in awe of people’s talents.
Then one day when I was 10, I was watching a music video at home. In the clip, the singer leaned backwards. Inspired, I gave it a go, and was astounded at how flexible I was.
My body just kept going.
The whole room is upside down! I laughed.
Back upright, I realised I could breathe more easily.
Showing off my new trick in front of my family, they were impressed. And it seemed the more I bent my body, the better my breathing became.
Doctors had no explanation, but were happy for me to continue my new-found hobby.
I felt inspired to try activities like gymnastics. And aged 11, I even began doing street performances on weekends, earning cash by performing tricks.
Amazed by my flexibility, people filmed me and, soon, their clips went viral on social media. Suddenly noticed by millions, I was dubbed ‘the world’s most flexible person’.
The following year, a documentary crew interviewed me about my mind-bending movements.
In 2022, at 14, I auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent. After bursting out of a toy box on stage, I performed as a creepy, contorted doll, bending and twisting, much to the audience’s shock and delight.
‘Go Liberty!’ my family cheered.
Although I didn’t make it to the semi-finals, I was elated by my achievement.
Back home that October, I was thrilled to attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most flexible movement, in front of a crowd of kids at my local gym.
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The move, which had been coined the Liberty Lowdown, was a chest-to-floor backbend. It saw me bending my top half all the way back, and through my legs, then squatting low so my lower ribs touched the floor, then coming all the way back up in reverse.
‘You look like a human pretzel!’ some said. In 30 seconds, I managed to do 11 chest-to-floor backbends, scoring the world record.
But my record-breaking feats didn’t stop there – the following month, I obtained the world title for the fastest 20-metre backbend knee-lock walk, at 22.53 seconds. This saw me walking forwards, with my top half bent fully backwards, while I held onto my knees.
Sharing my tricks on social media, I amassed over nine million followers across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.
Before long, I was invited to travel the world to perform my acrobatics, showcasing my ability across London and Paris. While it was tricky juggling school with travel, I completed all my work online.
In 2023, on Croatia’s Got Talent, I got a golden buzzer – meaning I went straight through to the finals – which was one of the highlights of my career.
In April that year, I was also awarded the fastest time to tie a pair of shoelaces in the chest-roll position, at 10.46 seconds.
The following year, my friend Mariam completed the most double-arm hula-hoop rotations with a human belt – me wrapped around her midriff – with 79 rotations in 30 seconds.
Minutes after, I became the female to do the most splits in one minute – 42.
I’d shown my brother Champ, then 12, the art of doing the splits too.
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He went on to break his own record, doing 48 splits in one minute!
And in October 2024, I claimed the title of the most extreme back-bend push-ups in 30 seconds for a female, with 17.
When I was invited to join a campaign for fashion brand Diesel, along with other record winners, I was thrilled.
Walking into the studio, my eyes scanned the room of unique characters – from a man balancing dozens of spoons on his face to the girl with the world’s longest tongue.
Modelling jeans as photographers snapped pics of us in fun positions, I’d never imagined how far my skill would take me.
Dad jokes that I’ve done enough incredible things to last a lifetime, but I’m not done yet.
In July last year, I performed the world’s longest handstand on a person performing a levitation trick, in one minute 29.35 seconds.
Now 18, I’ve recently launched a masterclass teaching others how to move their body, similar to yoga and meditation.
Every child dreams of having a superpower. I never imagined mine would be flexibility!
It’s unlocked so many amazing opportunities. I can’t wait to see where it takes me next.
