Lives Less Ordinary

• Tulisa: I wanted fame, but it almost destroyed me

  N-Dubz singer Tulisa Contostavlos survived betrayal and a tabloid sting.Tulisa was born into a family of musicians in Camden, London, and says music was part of her everyday life. But her childhood was impacted by her mother's severe mental health episodes that would often end up with her being held in psychiatric institutions. After her parents divorced, Tulisa would frequently have to care for her mother by herself. Tulisa escaped into music, and although she was initially determined to become a solo star, she found huge success with the UK group N-Dubz, formed with a cousin and a friend, when she was in her teens. At the age of 22 she became the youngest ever judge on the UK TV talent show The X Factor, but her biggest challenge was working out how to survive in the spotlight. At the peak of her fame an ex-boyfriend released an intimate video of her online, without her consent, and Tulisa had to go to court to have it removed from websites. In 2013 she was also the target of an elaborate undercover newspaper sting that led to her facing jail for drug supply, before the trial collapsed and she was cleared. The experience almost derailed her career, and her life. Tulisa's latest book is called Judgement.Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producers: Tommy Dixon and Rebecca VincentThis interview contains reference to suicide. If you are suffering distress or despair and need support, you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available in many countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide. www.befrienders.orgLives Less Ordinary is a podcast from the BBC World Service that brings you the most incredible true stories from around the world. Each episode a guest shares their most dramatic, moving, personal story. Listen for unbelievable twists, mysteries uncovered, and inspiring journeys - spanning the entire human experience. Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected.   Got a story to tell? Send an email to [email protected] or message us via WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784   You can read our privacy notice here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5YD3hBqmw26B8WMHt6GkQxG/lives-less-ordinary-privacy-notice

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• The ragtag boy who was taken in by a football icon

  The incredible story of the football icon who changed a boy's life. Craig Bromfield's start in life was difficult: there was often no electricity in his childhood home, and he didn’t even own a coat. He was in and out of the social care system, and would ask for money on the street. This is what 11-year-old Craig was doing with his brother Aaron, one fateful day in 1984, on a windswept seafront in the North East of England when he crossed paths with the era’s most famous football manager, Brian Clough - and his life was changed forever.Brian Clough was manager of Nottingham Forest at the time, but his character transcended sport and regularly delighted UK television audiences. After a few meetings with Craig, Brian’s public persona as an opinionated and uncompromising football boss melted away. Behind the studio lights and the bravado, Brian was a secret softie. He wanted to give Craig a better life, and incredibly, invited him to live with him and his family. Only Craig's early years would come back to haunt him when at 19 he made a decision that put the two men’s friendship on the line.Craig's published a memoir called Be Good, Love Brian: Growing up with Brian Clough.Presenter: Asya Fouks Producers: Elena Angelides and Edgar Maddicott Lives Less Ordinary is a podcast from the BBC World Service that brings you the most incredible true stories from around the world. Each episode a guest shares their most dramatic, moving, personal story. Listen for unbelievable twists, mysteries uncovered, and inspiring journeys - spanning the entire human experience. Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected.   Got a story to tell? Send an email to [email protected] or message us via WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784   You can read our privacy notice here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5YD3hBqmw26B8WMHt6GkQxG/lives-less-ordinary-privacy-notice

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• My private trauma was leaked to the press – so I fought back

  When Jenny Evans was sexually assaulted and confidential details appeared in a national newspaper, she decided to investigate – uncovering police corruption, tabloid spying, and phone-hacking. Jenny got a role in her first feature film when she was just 19 years old. At a film party in London she became separated from her friends and was sexually assaulted by a public figure she'd just met. At first she was too traumatised to report what had happened. But later, when other women came forward with similar stories about the same man, she finally felt able to go to the police. She provided a full testimony, but was shocked to see details from her police interview appear in a tabloid newspaper just a few days later. Jenny could not understand how this had happened, and the repeated tabloid stories about her led to a building sense of paranoia – she no longer knew who to trust. She eventually refused to talk to the police, the case against her attacker collapsed, and he was never prosecuted. Jenny decided to train as a journalist to discover what had really taken place between the police and the press. She teamed up with the well-known investigative journalist Nick Davies, and helped to uncover corruption in London's Metropolitan Police Service and illegal newsgathering practices by some national newspapers including phone-hacking and spying. Their investigations contributed to some high-profile resignations, and the closure of one of the newspapers at the heart of the phone-hacking scandal. Jenny eventually received an apology and substantial payout from the Metropolitan Police.This interview contains a description of sexual assault at the outset.Presenter: Asya Fouks Producer: Rebecca Vincent and Elena Angelides Lives Less Ordinary is a podcast from the BBC World Service that brings you the most incredible true stories from around the world. Each episode a guest shares their most dramatic, moving, personal story. Listen for unbelievable twists, mysteries uncovered, and inspiring journeys - spanning the entire human experience. Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected.   Got a story to tell? Send an email to [email protected] or message us via WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784   You can read our privacy notice here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5YD3hBqmw26B8WMHt6GkQxG/lives-less-ordinary-privacy-notice

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• How Paramore’s singer revived her grandad’s lost album

  Hayley Williams’ grandpa Rusty nurtured her musical dreams – now, she’s returning the favour.As the lead singer of American rock band Paramore, Hayley Williams has won three Grammy Awards and toured the world. Behind the scenes, her grandad Rusty has been her biggest supporter and musical hero, nurturing her childhood passion and later her career. Rusty is the one who taught Hayley how to play the drums and the piano. He even followed Paramore’s tour bus around the US in his car with Hayley’s grandmother, his childhood sweetheart Sharon. It turns out this very sentimental member of Paramore’ s entourage was so supportive of his granddaughter’s ambitions in part because his own attempt to make it as a musician was cut short. In the 1970s, Rusty sent his demo recordings to a music boss in Nashville who wanted him to mould his soul-inspired songs into the country music genre. Disillusioned, Rusty ended up quitting the music industry, and got a job in a lumber yard and eventually ran a store installing car stereos. He focused on being a father and a provider for his family. For 50 years, his songs lay hidden on a collection of old tapes, gathering dust. That is until Rusty’s long-lost recordings were rediscovered, and the dreams he’d packed away and long forgotten were revived – with the help of his granddaughter. This time around, Rusty gets his big break - and releases his debut album, Grand Man, at the of 79.Presenter: Asya Fouks Producer: Elena Angelides and Maryam MarufLives Less Ordinary is a podcast from the BBC World Service that brings you the most incredible true stories from around the world. Each episode a guest shares their most dramatic, moving, personal story. Listen for unbelievable twists, mysteries uncovered, and inspiring journeys - spanning the entire human experience. Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected.   Got a story to tell? Send an email to [email protected] or message us via WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784   You can read our privacy notice here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5YD3hBqmw26B8WMHt6GkQxG/lives-less-ordinary-privacy-notice

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• Miriam Toews: A loud voice in a town once ruled by silence

  The award-winning author who used her strict Mennonite upbringing to tell its unspoken stories.Miriam Toews is one of Canada’s most acclaimed novelists, but her journey began far from the literary world. Raised in the conservative Mennonite town of Steinbach, Manitoba, she grew up surrounded by deep faith, strict expectations, and a culture where silence often covered over difficult truths. The town didn't even have a train station to keep it separate from the 'worldy' practices of contemporary society. At home, her devout father Mel’s lifelong battle with mental illness and her mother Elvira’s rebellious streak created a world of tenderness and tension — one Miriam would later transform into funny and powerful fiction.Miriam reflects on how she became a writer: the restless imagination that sparked during childhood, her early escape from the confines of her community, and the personal losses that shaped novels such as A Complicated Kindness, All My Puny Sorrows, and Women Talking. With success also came the cost of telling stories about identity, family, mental health and faith — stories her community never dare speak aloud.This programme contains references to suicide. If you are suffering distress or despair and need support, you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available in many countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide. www.befrienders.orgPresenter: Jo Fidgen Producers: Laura Thomas and Edgar Maddicott Editor: Munazza Khan Lives Less Ordinary is a podcast from the BBC World Service that brings you the most incredible true stories from around the world. Each episode a guest shares their most dramatic, moving, personal story. Listen for unbelievable twists, mysteries uncovered, and inspiring journeys — spanning the entire human experience. Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected.   Got a story to tell? Send an email to [email protected] or message us via WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784You can read our privacy notice here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5YD3hBqmw26B8WMHt6GkQxG/lives-less-ordinary-privacy-notice

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