The call of the wild

Friends thought Heather Swan was mad when she fell for adrenaline junkie Glenn Singleman, but the couple’s love took them both to new heights, writes Pip Harry.

Heather Swan was just another member of the audience when she first laid eyes on extreme-adventure enthusiast Glenn Singleman. The charismatic motivational speaker had recently returned from BASE jumping off the Great Trango Tower (the world’s tallest vertical rock face) in Pakistan, and was giving a talk about setting a new world record.

Heather admits she was impressed by Glenn’s speech, his passion for the wilderness and the way he had instigated huge changes in his life. Glenn had gone from being a doctor to competing in BASE jumping – an extreme sport that involves using a parachute to jump from a fixed object such as a building, bridge or cliff. (In fact, BASE is an acronym for the four categories of fixed objects BASE jumpers launch from: buildings, antennas, spans (bridges) and earth (cliffs). Heather was also struck by Glenn’s level-headedness and composure. “I really liked him,” she recalls. “I thought he was the most interesting person I had ever come across. Actually, I was in complete awe of him.”  

Heather admits she was a couch potato at the time, who knew virtually nothing about the extreme sports Glenn was involved in. “I had never seen or heard of BASE jumping,” she admits. “I didn’t know much about rock climbing or mountaineering either. I was quite overwhelmed by it all.”

Realising she couldn’t let the man of her dreams slip through her fingers, Heather approached Glenn and suggested a working partnership. “I had an advantage,” she laughs. “I was working for the talent management agency Harry M Miller, so I went up to Glenn and said: ‘Look – we’d love to manage you; I think our clients would love your story’.” Glenn agreed to sign on as a speaker and the pair worked together for nine months before either made a move.

It wasn’t exactly love at first sight for Glenn, who says he thought Heather was attractive and dynamic, but saw her primarily as his manager. “At the time I thought she was a pushy corporate type,” he laughs. Heather agrees it took time for their romantic relationship to develop. “I don’t think he saw past my work persona, initially. I worked a 60-hour week and was very focused on my career.”

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