The Bishop of Southwark has spoken candidly about a devastating taxi accident that left him with serious injuries to his face.

The Right Reverend Christopher Chessun, now affectionately nicknamed the “bionic bishop,” says the traumatic experience reshaped his view on life, faith, and identity.

“I think it made me look very differently at life... at what really matters... the importance of one's health and wellbeing,” Bishop Chessun shared from Southwark Cathedral. “And to value each moment.”

Last September, the bishop was thrown forward in a taxi crash, breaking every facial bone except his lower jaw.

“I had no face after the accident," he recalled. “I was just aware of my face crumbling.”

Professor Kathy Fan, the lead surgeon, described the extent of his injuries bluntly, saying "your face is like cornflakes".

The complex reconstruction was completed in a single operation and plates and pins now hold his face together, as reported by the BBC.

Thanks to expert care and the support of the Church community, he returned to ministry by Christmas.

“That sense of being supported by the prayers of those in my diocese… made an enormous difference," he said.