A Shape of My Own (Viking, 2006)
Thin (Penguin, 2007)
I was born in Durham city in 1977 and in 1997 went to Queens' College, Cambridge University to read English.
My first book, A Shape of My Own was published in hardback by Penguin in 2006, and in 2007 it came out in paperback entitled Thin. Thin is a memoir of my experience of anorexia as a teenager and my subsequent recovery from the illness and became a Sunday Times bestseller.
I've written extensively about eating disorders in national press from the Guardian to The Sunday Times to Elle magazine and I've appeared on BBC Breakfast and The Wright Stuff. I'm a passionate and articulate speaker and frequently speak at schools and events (including the Oxford Literary Festival) about my story and about teenage self-esteem, body image and mental health issues. And I continue to do so, being invited back to schools as well as running my own evening events for adults.
Above all, I'm a writer. I've recently concluded a one term residency at a London boys' school teaching creative writing to years 7-11, three days a week. I've developed a range of resources and handouts for KS3 and for GCSE original writing. I work flexibly - either team teaching or leading classes on my own. I love teaching and I hope that shows.
I want to inspire all young people to use writing to express themselves; to find their voice and believe they have something to say that's worth writing about.