Author Rachel Reid's Heated Rivalry Adapted for TV Amid Parkinson's Diagnosis
Rachel Reid, 45, author of the Game Changers book series, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the summer of 2023. Around the same time, she was approached about adapting her series for television. This adaptation centers on the novel Heated Rivalry, which deals with an illicit same-sex relationship between two ice hockey players, Shane and Ilya, portrayed by Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie.
The TV adaptation, adapted and directed by Jacob Tierney, launched in North America in late November and is set to premiere in the UK on 10 January on Sky and the Now streaming service. Game Changers began with its first book in 2018, followed by five subsequent titles, with the TV adaptation garnering significant international attention.
Publicity surrounding the adaptation led a Parkinson's expert to contact Reid, resulting in a neurology appointment that had previously been unattainable due to a five-year waiting list in her small-area residence. The neurologist was able to adjust her medication to improve her sleep, which Reid says may help her writing.
