Dabbing paint onto the wall in careful strokes, I watched in awe as my mum Mandy, then 42, created an amazing Batman mural for my brother Jake, then 10, on his bedroom wall. She’d been sawing and smoothing down wood all morning to make a Batmobile-shaped headboard for his bed to match. ‘It’s spectacular!’ I cried when it was finally ready. I was 14, and I really admired Mum’s creativity. She had raised us on her own, yet went out of her way to make our little home fun and exciting, and always on a budget.
Over the years, her practical, can-do attitude rubbed off on me. Dyslexic, I struggled at school, but Mum taught me how to decorate and fix things.
After leaving school, I went to a performance college and got a job as a dancer, performing on stage in the Moulin Rouge in Paris and on tours with Dua Lipa. By my late 20s, I was still officially living at home, but staying in hotels most weeks while I performed in Magic Mike in London.
I was desperate for a place of my own, but although I’d been saving for a house deposit for years, I was single and house prices were high, so it just seemed impossible. ‘Maybe I’ll travel instead,’ I confided in Mum one night in spring 2018. ‘You could do both?’ she suggested, telling me about how she once bought an old camper van and drove around Australia. As she talked about watching the stars from the van roof at night, her face flushed with excitement, and a plan started to take shape in my mind.
That week, I told Mum that I wanted to buy a van and turn it into a home. ‘And I’m going to do everything myself,’ I insisted.
Esta historia es de la edición April 01, 2024 de WOMAN'S OWN.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición April 01, 2024 de WOMAN'S OWN.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
'SEEING MY NAME ON TV IS SURREAL'
Loose Women newbie Olivia Attwood Dack on joining the hit show, marriage and career goals
THE MISSING PIECE
My earliest memory of my older sister Priya wasn’t one where she was present, but rather, the realisation of her absence.
WEEKNIGHT WINNERS
Rustle up these tasty family dinners with just five easy ingredients
SMILING THROUGH CANCER
Like most mums, when my kids are upset I’ll do almost anything to turn their frowns upside down, whether it’s making Max, 11, his favourite chocolate cake or putting on silly voices for Georgia, eight, when she’s had a bad day at school.
BRAVERY AMIDST SUCH HORROR
The Woman's Own columnist has her say on dinner time, posh grub and wet summers
RELAX & RESET
For farm-to-table food and a game-changing spa, head for the dramatic Dolomites
HELP! I'M TURNING INTO MY MUM
As the years pass, Heather Main, 39, realises she’s inheriting more and more of her mother’s traits
I WAS MISTAKEN FOR MY HUSBAND'S MISTRESS!
When Gemma Loveden, 38, lost l6st, a family member was convinced she was someone else...
Denise confesses I'MA MORNING SEX PERSON'
Never one to mince her words, Denise Welch is much-loved by fans for her refreshing honesty.
Cat & Ben SNUBBED!
Are the This Morning hosts feeling disgruntled after missing out on an NTA nomination in favour of Alison?