AS WE celebrate International Women's Day today (March 8), we are highlighting some of our area's most influential female figures.

'IWD' is celebrated annually as a focal point in the women's rights movement and it gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.

Among some of Wrexham's most influential female figures is Laura O'Donnell.

The mother-of-five is best known for being a stuntwoman - a role which has taken her all around the world meeting the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Leonardo DiCaprio along the way.

A woman of many talents, Laura is also a beauty queen, businesswoman and counsellor, as well as being mother to her five children; Shannon, Malachy, Felicity, Harvey, and Blake.

During her journey to date, Laura - who currently lives in Cefn Mawr - has amassed more than 375,000 followers on Instagram.

It was around a decade ago now that Laura first began her journey into becoming an official stuntwoman.

Fast forward to 2023 and she has starred in a range of different shows including Emmerdale, Casualty and the hugely-popular Game Of Thrones series.

TOP STORIES TODAY

In her book 'Being Laura', she talks about how she went from being a nurse who only just made ends meet to enjoying a life well-lived by 'setting herself free'.

And it's fair to say that Laura's thrill-seeking nature is clearly rubbing off on her children, as I found out when I spent an afternoon with them.

The 'Extraordinary O'Donnell's' - as they're known on TikTok - have amassed 81,000 followers on that social media platform alone and have over 1.6 million likes on there too.

And it's not hard to see why, with some of the horseback, wall climbing and so many other stunts they get up to on there.

The uniqueness and excitement within Laura's life has been so great, that a film about her journey to date is currently in the works.

That's certainly one to keep an eye on in 2024 as Laura continues to be a champion for the women of Wrexham!