I love speaking to a live audience, I love the interaction and the sharing of emotion that occurs as they respond to and identify with my stories. Despite much of the feedback, the kind messages that declare that I am an inspiration, I see myself as something else and hear me out on this one. I am ordinary. I am nothing special. Here’s the kicker, and neither are you. Now would someone...
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In 2018 it was my immense honour to take to the stage in Brighton’s historic Dome Theatre to deliver a TEDx Talk to 1500 people, sharing the story of my mental health with a highly appreciative audience. Just before I went on the compere asked me how I would like to be introduced to which I joked “the Queen of the fucking world”. Standing, barefoot in the wings, I mentally prepared myself as the...
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I need milk. The flat is dark and empty, my appetite escapes me but for some reason I seem to be living on milk. Pulling my hat and coat on I close the front door behind me and head for the stairs. Outside the air is cool and dry, the tattoo parlour the only business open as customers treat themselves to last minute Christmas ink. I walk straight past the corner shop and pause briefly at the...
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September 19, 2008 – I am attending a press conference at the Opera House (now the O2 Academy) in Boscombe with Babyshambles frontman, and former Libertine, Peter Doherty. As he catches a quiet, unguarded moment I raise my Nikon and capture the image little realising how iconic it would become. Over the intervening decade it has been used on T-shirts, mugs and all manner of merchandise and...
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Over recent months the hysteria around transgender women seems to have been growing with each new statement about proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act. Headlines like PeakTrans, TransCult and Transgender Trend all imply that being trans is a new thing, that the weak minded and sexually confused are jumping on the bandwagon. If being transgender is trendy then I’ve never been trendier....
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Like most people within the Labour movement I like to think that I’m open to diversity and free from prejudice. Indeed I travel around the country speaking at conferences on diversity and inclusion, within football, within the Labour Party and even within society. I’m an ambassador for Kick It Out, the anti-discrimination organisation that began life 25 years ago as Kick Racism Out Of Football...
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