All he ever wanted to be was an architect, but the prospect of having to sit a maths A-level forced him to be a little creative
The year I turned 16 was an amazing year. I’ve never told anybody this in my life, but I remember standing in my mum’s bathroom when I was 16 thinking, “This year is amazing and it feels like it is lasting forever.” I left school, started work – it was a very special time for me.
I was brought up on a council estate and I loved it. This is not a sob story because it was bloody brilliant. We had the best time ever on my estate. We used to get into a bit of trouble but mainly all we did was ride our BMXs, chase girls and play football. And then, because I was a bit of a nerd, back in my little bedroom in my little council house, I was also reading books, watching documentaries, absorbing myself in the creative arts. Because that was my passion. I was a proper geek. But I didn’t really want anyone to see it so I used to hide that from them.
I remember getting a Mitre Delta football from Argos for my birthday and it felt like a lottery win. It cost about 12 quid and it was beautiful. Me and my mates had a sort of ceremony with it because we couldn’t believe we had this football. They made an arch around me and said I had to be first to kick it. So they crowded around, we placed the ball on the edge of the pitch, and when I kicked it we celebrated like we’d won the World Cup. That’s what it was like. We didn’t have a lot, but what we had we loved and celebrated.
I lost my dad when I was very young. He died in a tragic water-skiing accident when I was seven. He was 26. I think I knew I could either wallow in this and go down a dark road, be angry and bitter about the world that has taken my dad away from me or live every day the best I possibly can. It was awful. I was devastated. It’s something I carry every single day. But I decided I was going to make the absolute most out of life. So I’m all in. I’m going to enjoy every day. When I was the age my dad was when he died, I travelled from London to Sunderland and back in a day to stop by his grave. I remember saying, “Every day past today is a day longer than you had. So I’m going to be grateful for every second of it.”
I grew up surrounded by brilliant women – all the women in my family were absolute powerhouses. My mum was only 18 when she had me. Mum, my aunties, my cousins were all amazing northern women full of love. Although
