'I never thought I'd write a memoir. I never thought I'd do a lot of the things I have done in my thirty-four years,but life has a wonderful way of surprising us.'
Well-known as the winner of the third series of The Great British Bake Off and runner up of Strictly Come Dancing with his same-sex dance partner Johannes Radebe,John Whaite's personal story is a complicated narrative of contradictions,highs and lows,told with tenderness,joy,insight and wit,but also unflinching honesty.
A shy little boy from rural Lancashire,who was scared to sleep alone and danced a little'too gay'at family weddings,he was also an unruly teen who shaved a checkerboard pattern into his hair and refused to conform.
From childhood his life has revolved around food - his parents owned a fish and chip shop where John worked in the back peeling potatoes - but for long periods he has been haunted by bulimia and body dysmorphia and not a day goes by when he doesn't worry about what or how much he eats.
He achieved TV fame but then seemingly wilfully chose to self-destruct,before finding the strength to pull back when he woke up in a car with half a kebab at his feet and chilli sauce on his shoes.
Through it all,his essential optimism has meant that he has chosen to take every step back as a chance to reassess and begin again,finally arriving at the realisation that external validation and fulfilment is transient - a distraction from the sometimes painful pilgrimage we make as we gain wisdom from our experiences.
Publisher: Octopus Publishing GroupISBN: 9781804191491Number of pages: 304Weight: 530 gDimensions: 236 x 162 x 30 mm
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