Archive for the ‘Recent Stories’ Category

Lisa’s story will get you thinking. When she met Carl through an online dating agency, she thought that as he was a police officer and respected member of the community, nothing could possibly go wrong. But how wrong she was. Carl was a troubled man and soon after the birth of their beautiful twins, he lost his temper and lashed out at Lisa. Refusing to stand for it, Lisa has cut him out of her life – and the life of his daughters. A sacrifice he should probably have considered before losing control of his emotions. Lisa hopes her story will help other women realise more »

Stephanie contacted us from America, after deciding she felt ready to tell her incredible story to the world. After years of abuse and threats, Ronnie, Steph’s husband, pushed Stephanie too far. Knowing her own life and that of her daughters was at risk, Stephanie acted on impulse, shooting her husband at point blank range. In an incredible turn of events, the judge recognised that Stephanie had been driven to despair by her abusive husband and sentenced her to house arrest, signalling that it was more important Stephanie be with her daughters than spend time in a cell. It’s taken Stephanie several years to find the more »

Lovely Lynne… having appeared in the Sunday Mirror and Bella, this is Lynne’s second magazine outing, in Real People. She’s getting used to all the attention now – next stop, the This Morning sofa, for while I’ll be supporting her from behind the scenes! Lynne’s ‘best friend’ was using their friendship as a cover, while conning the bank out of thousands of pounds in Lynne’s name. Lorna has been found guilty and Lynne is slowing rebuilding her life after an experience that would knock anyone for six. Somehow, Lynne always comes out smiling and has been a pleasure to work with.

Sarah was another lovely lady who I had the pleasure to meet in person – and what a ray of sunshine she was too! Recently given back her ailing sight thanks to remarkable new technology, Sarah has been on a one-woman mission to make the world a better place her whole life – losing her sight didn’t stop her, and regaining it has only given her further incentive! She’s currently donating £150 to 150 charities and at Phoenix, we take our hats off to her!

I don’t always have the opportunity to meet the women I work with, but as Tracy only lived across the bridge, I was able to spend a day with her. Tracy has lived through every mother’s worse nightmare, and has found the strength to tell her story, in the hopes she can spread the word about how vital it is to ensure looped cords for window blinds are snipped or removed from children’s bedrooms. It was a lesson learned too late for poor Tracy, but she is determined to alert other parents, in Josh’s memory.

Lisa’s story is a weight loss journey… times five! Everyone likes to look good on their wedding day, and Lisa was keen to shed a few pounds for the big day. but soon, she realised all four of her bridesmaids were also determined to look their best. The race was on to see who would look their best. The result? One beautiful bride and four stunning bridesmaids.

Shirley has a lovely story to tell… Identical twins are always hard to tell apart, and Orlando and Seth were no different. Until Orlando fell ill and needed unique, innovative surgery that saw his stomach moved up to meet his oesophagus. Now the proud owner of a big scar, Orlando can happily attest to the fact that he is an identical twin, in every way but one…

Gina’s story came to us from America, but hits home wherever you live. Her close relationship with her aunt Vickie and cousin Chelsea meant Gina was in the house on that awful morning. Vickie’s violent, volatile boyfriend, Stephen, lost his temper, grabbed his gun and opened fire. Shot in the arm, Gina fell to the floor, gasping for breath. Vickie, Chelsea and Stephen’s own daughter, Rebecca, were all killed in cold blood. Gina survived by playing dead so Stephen left her alone. She’s still haunted by the memories, but told her story to raise awareness about domestic violence and the importance of women getting out more »

Viki’s incredible story has proved very popular. And for good reason – we’ve all been touched by the swine flu scares, so it was easy to empathise with Viki’s journey. Struck with swine flu whilee pregnant, she was put into an induced coma and woke up to find she’d given birth. But with no memory of the birth and still battling the devastating effects of swine flu, Viki didn’t have the energy or ability to bond with her baby. That’s when the hospital nurses stepped in, writing Henry’s diary so Viki could slowly build a bond. A super sweet story with a happy ending.

I love this story! I’ve written many twin related stories in my time, but this one had a twist… twin foals! Twice! Jacquie, herself an identical twin, rears horses as a passionate past time. The chances of a horse having twins are incredibly unlikely, and for both twins to survive, even less likely. But for Jacquie and her twin, her horses twins and her other horses’s twins… everyone lived happily ever after! Confused? It’s a twin thing!