I love my rescue dog to bits – but he’s made my life a lot harder
It sounds terrible, but rehoming Dudley has disrupted our once peaceful, easy lives considerably.
My daughter was just 22 when she was killed by an asthma attack
I spoke to her just hours before the fatal attack - she'd been happy, with no indication that anything was wrong.
My hair started falling out when I was 14 because I didn’t know how to care for it
I felt like a part of myself was missing.
The hoists at my ‘accessible’ hotel were broken – my jaw dropped when the receptionist offered to lift me into bed
She was clearly unaware that this would have been physically dangerous and embarrassing for me.
My young, healthy husband died of Covid – our 10-year-old lost her dad and I became a widow at 39
As people celebrated lockdowns lifting and life returning to normal, all I wanted to do was scream: ‘But my husband is dead, there isn’t any normal anymore, don’t you get it?’
My neighbours from hell bang my floor whenever I make any noise – they’ve left me scared to leave the house
The last time I bumped into them in the hallway, she had to hold him back as he shouted at me.
I worried becoming a dad would mean losing my bisexual identity
For many bisexuals, having children pushes them back into the closet.
I was widowed and lonely when I found love again online – he defrauded me out of £16k
I sent him all of my life savings, as well as taking out new credit cards.
A police officer for 11 years, I was brainwashed into thinking male colleagues’ misogyny was normal
Many of the men I worked with were good men. The problem was, the ‘good men’ laughed along with the ‘bad jokes’.
I’ve been harassed by men in the street twice in the last 2 weeks – do they really not know better?
‘Stop looking at your phone,’ an older man spat at me.
My mouldy flat caused daily asthma attacks – I had to teach my kids to call 999
In my experience, trying to get my council to take this issue seriously has been like pulling teeth.
I’m saving lives at 26 as one of the UK’s youngest chartered civil engineers
Because of the way I looked, people didn’t believe that I was academic enough.
This nifty piece of technology helps me navigate life and work as a blind person
It's a totally versatile piece of kit - and has been a true game changer.
I fled Afghanistan 18 months ago with my brother and sister – we haven’t seen our parents since
At 19, I'm having to be a parent to my younger siblings.
After 29 years, I finally feel comfortable looking in the mirror after transitioning to be a man
for the first time in my life, I look at myself and think, ‘Yes, that’s me. That’s who I’m meant to be.’
I used to resent Mother’s Day until I became a mum and cut contact with my own
I'd see posts pop up on social media of my friends’ heartfelt messages to their mum and uncomfortable feelings would stir.
After my disastrous first date, we got on the same train home – which broke down
When the train broke down, Kate and I turned to each other and groaned.
Getting a cancer diagnosis forced me to prioritise myself for the first time
I’d been drinking at least a bottle of red wine every night and smoking around 30 cigarettes a day to cope with stress.
A DNA test led me to discovering a brother and a granddaughter I never knew existed
Now my family will be part of my life forever - I'm so blessed to have met them.
My period was a form of torture – it took 18 years to get an endometriosis diagnosis
As the doctor broke the news, he also told me I'd never be able to have children naturally.
I thought my family was complete – then my baby died at just two months from a condition I’ve never heard of
As I told her over and over how much I loved her, I prayed for a miracle - but the unthinkable happened.
I thought my problems were ‘too small’ to have therapy – I was wrong
I’d convinced myself that my problems weren’t enough, or weren’t ‘real’ issues to get help for.
I’ve fostered more than 50 kids – now I provide love and support to teenage refugees
Currently, I have three in my care – from Eritrea, Iran and Iraq, all aged between 17 and 19.
GBBO’s Sandro Farmhouse: I never met my father – baking was my therapy after his death
I'd applied for Bake Off twice before I was accepted on my third try.
Judith Heumann was a disability activist who changed the world – she was my role model
I can only hope that my own activism leaves an ounce of the same impact Judy has left on this world.
