Victoria Derbyshire has told The Independent how her father used to beat her with a wooden spoon, hit her with a belt, and regularly beat her mother so severely that he once broke her rib.
Recalling the terrible domestic abuse her family suffered, the BBC journalist described how her father once threw scalding soup on her school uniform and put his hands around her throat.
The physical and mental abuse was so bad that Derbyshire, along with her mother, brother, and sister, left their home to stay with her aunt, only to return, as “life kept drawing us back”. Derbyshire said: “When I think about my childhood, it feels like domestic abuse was always there.”
She went on to detail how, although the violence wasn’t constant, it was a regular part of their lives. “It was so, so normalised. I don’t want to minimise it,” she says. “It was just a feature of us growing up – me, my brother, my sister, and my mum.”
The seasoned broadcaster spoke in unprecedented detail about her experience in support of The Independent‘s Brick by Brick campaign, in partnership with Refuge, which aims to raise £300,000 to build a safe house for survivors fleeing domestic abuse. Although her father, who died in 2020, denied hitting his children, Derbyshire recalled a childhood where fear was a constant presence.
“We would hear my father’s key in the back door, and wherever we were in the house, we’d dash to our bedrooms and shut the door. We just didn’t want to be around him.” She described how the family lived on edge, “walking on eggshells” to avoid provoking his anger. Derbyshire revealed that the abuse wasn’t limited to physical violence, and something as mundane as a boiling kettle could set off her father’s rage.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 18, 2024 من The Independent.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 18, 2024 من The Independent.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
The Extremism Of Trump's Pick For Intelligence Chief
Tulsi Gabbard made the journey from anti-war Democrat to Moscow-friendly Maga warrior. Rich Hall looks at how
Will Labour Party Mps Get Behind Pm's Welfare Blitz?
Labour's blitz on benefits comes with some eye-catching language from the prime minister, announced in The Mail on Sunday. He has warned of Britain's "bulging benefits bill blighting our society" as he vows to cut the £137bn cost.
England hammer Japan to end vexing autumn on high
After a November of frets and frustration came a chance for fun and frolics for England.
Verstappen pulls up next to F1 elite with his fourth title
Dutch driver seals championship under lights of Las Vegas
Treasure's chest! Salah stars for Reds in comeback win
Liverpool moved eight points clear at the top of the Premier League yesterday as Mohamed Salah scored twice to help them come from behind to beat Southampton 3-2 at St Mary’s.
Amorim kicks-off United role with lacklustre draw
Ruben Amorim can at least remind himself that Manchester United’s best managers have had worse starts.
Have I got time to get a new passport for trip to Europe?
Q My passport expires in July 2025. Is the Passport Office doing renewals quickly these days? If not, when is the best time? I intend to go to Europe before March.
Far-right populist leads in Romanian presidential vote
A far-right populist took the lead in Romania's presidential election yesterday and will probably face leftist prime minister Marcel Ciolacu in a runoff in two weeks, an outcome that rocked the country's political landscape.
Three held after prominent Israeli rabbi killed in Dubai
Emirati police question men as Iran denies any involvement
Lab test monkeys are flown to UK 'injured and terrified'
Monkeys flown into the UK for laboratory testing were so badly injured that their crates were smeared with blood, photographs suggest.