What I Wish I'd Known

“Your life is built on the way you do things and the way people see you and the way you react”. The former Home Secretary, David Blunkett, says he is unsure whether he would choose the ability to see if he could. Born blind, David has...

“I felt uncomfortable with my passions and with my life at school,” says Steve Backshall. The naturalist has wowed British children for years with shows such as Deadly 60, but his own childhood discomfort with his passion for nature is a...

The Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey says on his parliamentary profile that he had a happy childhood with no financial hardships, but it was also one driven by such heartache that it’s hard to comprehend. He was just four years old when...

“Perseverance can lead to a life that maybe society thinks you're not going to have”, that’s what Jimmy Akingbola tells us despite being placed in a children's home at the age of two years old. The actor, best known for his roles in Ted...

“Everyone was fake in the world I was in”, that’s what Jamie Wood, step son of Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, says of growing up in the shadow of a rockstar. He claims he was unwittingly introduced to drugs at a young age, which...

“The birds will help you”, says Mya-Rose Criag. The 21-year old ornithologist, author and campaigner explains how catching glimpses of rare birds has the ability to heal and soothe. She saw the positive effect in her own life as she...

“People talk about being obsessive like it’s a bad thing… but it’s not, it’s a really good thing. It drives you,” says Gary Numan. The influential pop star explains how he has come to see his Asberger’s diagnosis as a superpower, despite...

“I am so grateful for everything that’s ever happened,” says Suzie Fletcher. The Repair Shop’s resident leather expert explains how traumatic experiences have shaped her into the person she is today. Chief among those was the abusive...

“If you love your kids, they will be more resilient than you think,” says Joe Wicks. The nation's P.E.teacher talks about how his parents’ enduring love shaped Joe into the person he is today. Through his dad’s struggles with drug...

“I’ve been able to be equal parts missionary and mercenary,” says Karl Lokko. In this episode of What I Wish I’d Known, the venture capitalist and former gang leader talks of how his extraordinary youth has led to a clear purpose in the...

Best selling writer Anthony Horowitz, shares how he believes his astonishing drive and creativity was born out of trauma. He fought against countless people telling him he would never be good enough, including his own father, and now...

“Life is what is in front of you” says Deborah Meaden. In this episode of What I Wish I’d Known, the business leader shares how the challenges she faced in her early years shaped her as the entrepreneur we know today. At four years old...

Why is it that often people with the hardest beginnings in life become the most successful adults? And is there something to learn from those people who perhaps have the strongest sense of what matters most?Times Journalists Rachel...

In this episode of What I Wish I’d Known, former Prime Minister Tony Blair shares how the challenges he faced in his younger years shaped him into the man we know. From the devastating stroke his father suffered, to his mother’s death...

In this episode of What I Wish I’d Known, entrepreneur Richard Branson shares how despite his success with his business ventures from the Virgin Group, he has come up against challenges just like you and I. From living with severe...

In this episode of What I Wish I’d Known, TV Presenter Kirstie Allsopp shares how she lived in the shadows of her mothers impending death for several years. From nurturing her siblings from a young age, to attempting to carry out her...

In this episode of What I Wish I’d Known, actor Brian Cox shares his memories of growing up in poverty in Dundee after his father died when he was just eight years old, and how witnessing his mother’s attempted suicide made him know he...

In this episode of What I Wish I’d Known, one of the UK’s most successful rappers Professor Green, Stephen Manderson, talks candidly about being brought up on an East London council estate by his grandmother, struggling with anxiety and...

In this episode of What I Wish I’d Known, we hear renowned poet Lemn Sissay OBE share the harrowing but compelling story of his childhood. Stolen from his birth mother and rejected by foster parents, Lemn endured years of mistreatment...