Advertise on podcast: Life, Interrupted with Simon Thomas

This epsiode of Life Interrupted with Katie Price, was recorded in April 2021. Katie Price, known for many years as Jordan, her picture hung on many a bedroom wall and covering the front of tabloids and magazines. But the Katie Price you think you know, is very different in reality. Although she began her career courting fame and publicity; famously she ended up marrying Peter Andre after they fell in love on ITV's "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here", she has longed for her side of the story to be heard. Katie has felt for a long time that the media portrayal of her is unfair. In this honest chat, I discovered that instead of the hard and cold person the media sometimes paint her as, she's actually a very sensitive and caring person, not least for her son Harvey, who has Prader-Willi Syndrome. Behind the scenes is a lady who has endured years of her own battles with trauma and mental illness. Katie's story is colorful, and at times desperately sad, but her humour and hope for the future shine throughout. If you have been through life events similar to those described in this episode and you need someone to talk to, please contact the samaritans, free any time, from any phone, on 116 123 And if you'd like to share your thoughts with Simon, he'd love to hear from you: Twitter @SimonThomasSky

Libby Scott is fourteen years old. She loves hot chocolate, Taylor Swift and lives in Kent with her family. Her dad is a musician and Libby's mum is an education consultant and conference speaker. Libby is also autistic. For many years, it was a battle for her to understand herself and for her family and friends to understand her. Following an autism diagnosis, Libby was finally able to understand herself better and express how she felt. In 2018, her mum Kim, decided to share a piece of Libby's writing online. The piece went viral and was liked and retweeted thousands of times. The next year she wrote her first book with co-writer Rebecca Wescott. It is called "Can You See Me", a story about an autistic girl called Tally who tries to navigate school and her social life. Now fourteen, Libby is publishing her third book called "Ways To Be Me", which focuses on the process of getting a diagnosis. It's a brilliant and extraordinary book that not only will help many people understand autism better, but one that will give hope and perhaps more importantly, a voice to others with autism. Libby is a remarkable young lady. And it was a great honor for her and her mum Kim to join me on this episode of Life Interrupted. If you have been through life events similar to those described in this episode and you need someone to talk to, please contact The Samaritans, on 116 123 And if you'd like to share your thoughts with Simon, he'd love to hear from you: Twitter @SimonThomasSky

Sixteen years ago, Matt Hampson was a professional rugby union player with bags of potential. He was on the books of the then formidable Leicester tigers, caps for the England Under-Eighteens and Under Twenty-Ones. Everything pointed Matt having a hugely successful playing career. But on a cold Tuesday morning in March 2005, whilse training with the England Under Twenty-Ones, everything changed in one single moment. As the forwards practice, the scrum Matt was part of collapsed and his neck took the full force of the blow. Many days later, he woke up in an intensive care unit, paralyzed from the neck down and now needing a ventilator just to stay alive. He was just twenty years old, and now a tetraplegic. For many, the road back to having any kind of life again, would have looked virtually impossible. But after seventeen long months in hospital, and many more in rehabilitation, Matt began to slowly rediscover life again. Through setting up the Matt Hampson Foundation, he's now devoted his life to helping men and women have also had to face up to life changing injuries. Matt teamed up with Author Paul Kimmage, to write the extraordinary tale of his life in his brilliant book, Engage. This is the story of a man whose world collapsed. A man who then found the strength and determination to reshape his life into one that should leave us all feeling inspired. If you have been through life events similar to those described in this episode and you need someone to talk to, please contact The Samaritans, on 116 123 And if you'd like to share your thoughts with Simon, he'd love to hear from you: Twitter @SimonThomasSky

Dilly Carter may not be a name familiar to lots of people, but to the many thousands who follow her Instagram account DeClutter Dollies, she's very well known. Her daily tips and hacks help her many followers to not just declutter their homes, but to declutter their lives. She's now not just the author of a new book Create Space, which is as much about decluttering our minds as it is our homes, but she's also one of the presenters of the BBC One show Sort Your Life Out. To everyone watching on, Dilly's life looks one of order, organization and calm but it wasn't always like this. She was born in Sri Lanka and into a chaotic world as she spent the first part of her life in an orphanage. Eventually, three years later, Dilly was adopted by a couple living in England. Dilly's story is a complex one. It's the story of a reluctant man who questioned if he could ever love someone else's daughter. It's a story of an adoptive mum who had her own battles with being bipolar and the tale of rejection by Dillys blood parents. And her story is eventually one of acceptance of a couple who came to love her as their own. Dilly's life so far has brought so much help and hope to others not just practically, but emotionally and mentally as well. If you have been through life events similar to those described in this episode and you need someone to talk to, please contact The Samaritans, on 116 123 And if you'd like to share your thoughts with Simon, he'd love to hear from you: Twitter @SimonThomasSky

Charlie Corbett is a name that won't be familiar to many. But he has a story that should be heard by many. Charlie is a writer, journalist, public speaker, husband and father to two sons. He grew up the son of a farmer and spent his childhood living a rural life immersed in the sights and sounds of the nature around him. After university, he left his farming roots behind and spent the next twenty years as a journalist reporting on business and finance. It was about as far away from the countryside life of his youth you could get. Yet, when he was 35, Charlie's world was profoundly interrupted when after a long struggle with cancer, his mum died. As Charlie battled with the weight and despair of grief, it was the song of a skylark as he lay on the side of a lonely hill, that began to lead him on a journey of healing. It was a journey of rediscovering not just about the power of nature, but also himself. Now he's written an incredible book called 12 birds to save your life (https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/442899/12-birds-to-save-your-life/9780241503331). It's a moving tale of loss, but also one of great joy and hope, as Charlie tells the tale of the amazing power of nature, and the songs of the birds around us which bring healing and joy in even the darkest of times. If you have been through life events similar to those described in this episode and you need someone to talk to, please contact The Samaritans, on 116 123 And if you'd like to share your thoughts with Simon, he'd love to hear from you: Twitter @SimonThomasSky

Richard Marson maybe not a name many of you will know. For over thirty years, Richard has been an important figure within the TV industry. He's worked on some of the most recognizable programs in British television from Top of the Pops to the Paul Daniels Magic Show to Going Live. Richard is best known for the years he spent as a talented producer and then editor on the BBC his iconic children's show Blue Peter. Richard had it all, a brilliant career and a loving family. But in 2008, his life was interrupted by the unimaginable and any parent's worst nightmare. On a beautiful sunny Sunday morning, Richard and his family woke up to discover that their fouteen year old son Rupert had taken his life. Just finding a reason to even carry on living was at times a daily battle. But over the past thirteen years, the color has slowly began to seep back into Richard's life. As someone who I've known for over twenty years as a friend and colleague, I can honestly say, Richard is a remarkable person. I have no doubt that his story will move you and encourage you, in equal measure. If you have been through life events similar to those described in this episode and you need someone to talk to, please contact The Samaritans, on 116 123 And if you'd like to share your thoughts with Simon, he'd love to hear from you: Twitter @SimonThomasSky

Sam Ward is a British hockey player who has represented England and Great Britain scoring an incredible 72 goals in 126 caps. He's a Commonwealth Games bronze medalist, and played for Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympics. While following his ambition is to represent his country again at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Sam's hopes of a second Olympics were dealt a hammer blow when he was struck by a ball in the face during an Olympic hockey quantifier. After extensive surgery to rebuild his injured face, Sam found out the life changing news, the damage to his left eye was irrepairable. He wouldn't be able to see out of it again. For a time, he thought his career in hockey was over. But through sheer determination, and huge strength of character, Sam has come through the dark times, overcome the many doubts and is back playing again. Sam's story is one that should inspire all of us facing life changing events, and show us that even when it feels like the end, it doesn't have to be. If you have been through life events similar to those described in this episode and you need someone to talk to, please contact The Samaritans, on 116 123 And if you'd like to share your thoughts with Simon, he'd love to hear from you: Twitter @SimonThomasSky

James Taylor was just 19 when he became the youngest professional cricket player to score 1000 championship runs in a season. He went on to make the move to Nottingham where he became captain, and by the age of 21, had made his debut for England. He represented his country over 30 times, but then in 2016, whilst warming up for a pre-season game against Cambridge University, James's life was interrupted in the most unexpected yet brutal of ways, as he collapsed and was left fighting for his life. A previously undetected heart condition led to the life changing news that if he ever played cricket, or exercised again, he could die. His bright cricketing career was extinguished in a moment. James's story is one that needs to be heard. It's the story of how you deal with having your dreams snatched away. It's the story of how he is faced a battle to rebuild his life. A battle more intense than anything he ever faced on the pitch. But it's also the life affirming tale of a man who has emerged from some really dark days with courage, humor, and enormous hope for the future. If you have been through life events similar to those described in this episode and you need someone to talk to, please contact The Samaritans, on 116 123 And if you'd like to share your thoughts with Simon, he'd love to hear from you: Twitter @SimonThomasSky

It may suprise you that 60,000 women and men are stalked in the UK each year. Tracey Morgan was 22 years old, happily married and living in Hampshire. But after her and her husband became friends with a colleague at the Naval Base she worked for, Tracey's life took a sinister turn. A man she tried to help with his mental health issues soon became her nightmare. As he began to stalk her every move, she soon became frightened of seeing him wherever she went, and one day found him parked outside her home. And then the endless silent phone calls began. She told her bosses, who ordered him to stay away from her. But this was just the start of a terrifying ordeal that would last for nearly 10 years. Yet time and again, she faced disbelief and prejudice. It cost her at times her sanity. It cost Tracey her marriage, and for many years, it was a struggle to get the police and courts to bring about the justice that a decade of stalking had deserved. Tracy's story is a chilling one. But given how many other women go through this experience every year in the UK, it's one that needs to be heard. And it's now given Tracy, a powerful voice in helping others who've lived through this kind of nightmare. If you have been through life events similar to those described in this episode and you need someone to talk to, please contact The Samaritans, on 116 123 And if you'd like to share your thoughts with Simon, he'd love to hear from you: Twitter @SimonThomasSky

Jay blades is the stylish star of the wonderful BBC hit show the repair shop the show where his team of talented craftsmen and women bring downtrodden family heirlooms back to life and then reunite them with their often emotional owners. Part of the show secret is Jay's charm, style, wit and warmth. A man who always shows compassion and empathy to the many who have visited the repair shop bar. But behind this calm figure is a story of an upbringing and life that was anything but serene. Growing up in northeast London, Jay's early childhood was a largely happy and innocent one, yet when he went to senior school, all that changed. He was regularly physically and verbally abused because of the color of his skin. He left school battered, emotionally scarred and with no qualifications. By the age of 21, Jay was homeless. It was only in his 30s that he began to turn his life around, heading to university and then making changes in his life that transformed him and the lives of hundreds of young people through his various community projects. Now he's written a wonderful book called "Making It" about his life, and as he admits the most impressive restoration he's carried out has been on himself. His is a challenging but wonderfully inspiring story. If you have been through life events similar to those described in this episode and you need someone to talk to, please contact The Samaritans, on 116 123 And if you'd like to share your thoughts with Simon, he'd love to hear from you: Twitter @SimonThomasSky

Tony Bellew is a name known to many who follow the world of boxing. He grew up in Wavertree in Liverpool, and by the age of just eighteen, was strapping on a bulletproof vest and working as a bouncer. His childhood had almost as many knocks as he took in the ring, with the end of his parents relationship and finding himself expelled from school at the age of fifteen. As he had heard said to him many times, he felt a waste of space and his life was at a crossroads. One direction could lead to a life of street fights and crime, the other was boxing. He chose the latter, and went on to become a world champion, but also held the British Commonwealth and European titles, and his glittering career culminated in two defining victories against David Heye. Tony Bellew's story of a chubby kid growing up in Liverpool to a world champion, is an example of willpower, incredible resilience and total dedication. After over 20 years in the ring, what you're about to hear is the tale of a man who has overcome the doubters and reached the pinnacle of his sport. Yet he is still vulnerable and honest enough to admit, he continues to face an almost daily battle with his demons. He's also just written a brilliant new book called Everybody Has A Plan Until They Get Punched In The Face, where he draws on the lessons he's learned from life in the ring to help others deal with the punches that life can throw all of us. If you have been through life events similar to those described in this episode and you need someone to talk to, please contact The Samaritans, on 116 123 And if you'd like to share your thoughts with Simon, he'd love to hear from you: Twitter @SimonThomasSky

Join Simon Thomas as he explores human endurance through the toughest times in the second series of his podcast Life Interrupted. In a series of incredible interviews, with guests including Katie Price, Tony Bellew, Jay Blades and more, he discovers how the more desperate times can lead to hope and inspiration for a new and happy life. In each episode, we hear from names we are familiar with and some we are not. These interviews teach us that despite the most difficult challenges in our lives, we can find the strength and the narrow path through to a better life. Subscribe now!