Insecure. It’s a word that’s been contaminated to sound like a disease. Like it’s a black and white diagnosis that you either test positive or negative for. Like people should keep their distance to protect themselves from catching it. Like openly admitting it’s a part of your life means voluntarily exposing the tremendous weight of the baggage you haul around with you.
When I go on nights out, I hide a pair of flip flops in a bush outside the club. There, I said it. I’m pathetic with heels, and I can’t afford to spend a fortune riding round in taxis every night. So, when I’m ready to leave, I simply retrieve my flats from their hiding place and begin my comfortable journey home. It’s not cool, and to most people it’s probably quite strange (especially those who’ve witnessed it). But it’s me, it’s my choice and it’s my life, and if there’s one thing I’ll never be caught apologising for – it’s that.
They’ve grabbed my bum, my breasts and even reached a hand up the front of my dress while brushing past me in a crowd. They’ve made me feel trapped, scared and miserable, and they’ve turned many a fun night out into a living nightmare. Like many women, I’m not only accustomed to ‘casual groping’ from men I don’t know in nightclubs – I actually expect it. Continue reading
Every single day is full of choices. Should I wear this outfit, or this one? What should I cook for dinner tonight? Who should I call about this issue? What do I want to watch on TV? We make them spontaneously, unconsciously, sometimes even carelessly. These small and seemingly insignificant decisions make up our day-to-day lives and yet, on so many occasions, we barely even give them a second thought.
A university student. An avid athlete. And now the latest member of her family to be diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease, a decade after it first struck them. Ellis Kerton shares her story of her battle to keep the ‘Hope in Huntington’s’.
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When receiving cancer treatments – such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy – up to 80% of people can lose weight. But the lesser-known and less common side effect is weight gain, and some people can put on up to 8 stone.
Having a child with a medical condition can be challenging for any parent, especially if it has a considerable impact on their life. But one mum is pulling out all the stops to make sure her son’s happiness isn’t limited just because his eyesight is. Here’s their story.
When I heard that Giovanni Pernice was touring his own show this year, I was full of excitement. As someone who has starred in one of my all-time favourite TV programmes ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, and as someone I idolise as both a dancer and a performer, I knew I had to go and see it, and that I had to learn some dance moves from the man himself. Luckily, both of those wishes were granted on April 29, 2017.
I was recently asked a question in a job interview that went a little bit like this: “How can you demonstrate that you’ll be committed and dedicated to this role, despite the sometimes long and unsociable hours?” There was only one thing that came to my mind. The same thing that, I’m sure, has influenced a huge part of the way I am today. Dancing.
