no, not at all. that was very hard. and there are a number of layers to it. things like the electric going off and sitting in darkness. the money had run out and mum didn t have any money to put in the electricity metre. we had the advantage of a big east end family network around us, so we didn t go hungry in that sense, but it did mean kind of traipsing the hour long round walk to my nan s to get food from there or to get food from my aunts or my grandad, my dad s dad, who lived not far away. because my dad s always been in my life. in fact, i spent my teenage years. i moved to live with my dad for the rest of my adolescence, and my dad would tell you far too long into my 20s before he could get rid of me. but this is poverty that is tough. 0n the other hand, people might say, well, around the people you grew up with, it might not have been unusual. that might have been what it was like. did you feel you were just like everybody else? no. was it a badge of shame?
the story is an extraordinary one because not only does she end up in prison, as you say, largely because of her relationship. who does she share her cell with? shares cells with christine keeler, who was at the heart of the profumo affair, which i didn t really have much understanding or awareness of growing up. not exactly an east end girl, was she? no, she wasn t. i know, talk about chalk and cheese. you had this working class east ender in my nan, libby, and then you had christine keeler of high society. but i remember my nan talking about christine keeler and feeling very strongly that she had been a victim of injustice and that what had happened to her had been wrong. and they stayed in contact for many years after they had left prison. so you grew up as a small child. they re your mum s parents. presumably there wasn t a lot of money around the house? no, not at all. that was very hard. and there are a number of layers to it. things like the electric going off and sitting in dar
of high society. but i remember my nan talking about christine keeler and feeling very strongly that she had been a victim of injustice and that what had happened to her had been wrong. and they stayed in contact for many years after they had left prison. so you grew up, as a small child they re your mum s parents presumably there wasn t a lot of money around the house? no, not at all. that was very hard. and there are a number of layers to it. things like the electric going off and sitting in darkness. the money had run out and mum didn t have any money to put in the electricity meter. we had the advantage of a big east end family network around us, so we didn t go hungry in that sense, but it did mean kind of traipsing the hour long round walk to my nan s to get food from there or to get food from my aunts or my grandad, my dad s dad, who lived not far away. because my dad s always been in my life. in fact, i spent my teenage years.
as you say, largely because of her relationship. who does she share her cell with? shares cells with christine keeler, who was at the heart of the profumo affair, which i didn t really have much understanding or awareness of growing up. not exactly an east end girl, was she? no, she wasn t. i know, talk about chalk and cheese. you had this working class east ender in my nan, libby, and then you had christine keeler of high society. but i remember my nan talking about christine keeler and feeling very strongly that she had been a victim of injustice and that what had happened to her had been wrong. and they stayed in contact for many years after they had left prison. so you grew up, as a small child they re your mum s parents presumably there wasn t a lot of money around the house? no, not at all. that was very hard. and there are a number of layers to it. things like the electric going off and sitting in darkness. the money had run out and mum didn t have any money to put in the el