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The Daily Mirror
Butched by a cheap boob job abroad'Can I sell my story?' asked Tanya Bennett, when she got in touch with us to warn others of the dangers of having cheap surgery abroad. Shockingly, Tanya has been left with just one breast after a botched boob job in Belgium. Tanya is now waiting for an operation on the NHS to reconstruct her breast. Her story appeared in the Daily Mirror and will soon be in a women's magazine too.
Top of the Pops magazine
Brainwashed by pro-anorexic websitesErin got in touch with us as she wanted to share her story of how pro-anorexic sites nearly killed her. Erin was just 13 when she went online for advice on losing weight, and she quickly found herself sucked into the world of pro-ana sites, where young girls share weight loss tips and post photos of themselves looking shockingly thin to inspire others. After a lengthy battle, Erin, 15, is now a healthy weight and feels strong enough to share her story, which appears in Top of the Pops magazine.
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Sunday People
'I was left a single dad of five daughters when my wife suddenly died.'When George’s wife Irene died suddenly from a seizure in 2005 he wasn’t sure how he’d cope bringing up his five daughters, who were aged four to 13 at the time. Consumed with grief, George, 40, shut himself away from his children and would get angry when they talked about their mother. But things improved when the family were referred to Barnardo’s bereavement service for therapy and began to confront their grief. George now adores his role as a hands-on dad to his daughters and wanted to share his story of how far he has come.
The Daily Mail
'I adopted my best friend's son - it was her dying wish.'We are always looking for inspirational true life stories and few people are more inspiring than 42 year old Pippa, who decided to adopt 15-year-old Paulo last year after his mum - her best friend Toni - died of cancer. It was Toni’s dying wish that Paulo be cared for by Pippa, who had spent the last few months of Toni’s life constantly by her side as she underwent gruelling rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. We are now organising a deal with a women’s magazine for Pippa.
The Daily Mail'My regrets over using sunbeds five times a week.'Joanne Cobb, 28, got in touch with us as she wanted to sell her story about the dangers of using sunbeds – which resulted in her being diagnosed with an aggressive form of skin cancer. Mum-of-four Joanne was just 15 when she first became addicted to using sunbeds and at one point was using them five times a week. Last summer she discovered that a mole on her leg was malignant melanoma and just a couple of months ago she was told the cancer had spread and she underwent an operation to remove her lymph nodes. Although Joanne has been given the all-clear for now, there is still a 50 per cent chance the cancer will return within five years. Joanne hopes that her story will discourage people from using sunbeds. ‘I just wish I could turn back the clock,’ she says. ‘If I hadn’t ignored the risks I would never have found myself in this position.’
Would you like to sell your story?
Now magazine
'Taking painkillers lead to an addiction.'Would a magazine be interested in my real life story’, asked 44-year-old mum of three Alison Morris when she got in touch to tell us about her battle with painkillers. Her story of the 54-pills-a-day habit that cost her £15,000 and nearly ruined her life went on to appear in Now magazine. Alison was forced to seek professional help for her addiction and treated with heroin withdrawal medication. By speaking out about her situation, she wanted to warn others that just because a drug is legal doesn’t mean it won’t result in addiction. After her story was published, Alison emailed Boo, who wrote the piece, saying: ‘Hi Boo, congrats on the article, you did a really good job. It has taken many of my friends by surprise, but they have all said I was very brave to speak out. Thankyou.’
Sunday People
I'm England's biggest football fan.In an incredible story, 40-year-old Brian Wright has seen EVERY England game (apart from one) at World Cups and European Championships since being taken with his uncle in 1988 at the age of 18. That means he's seen 248 games, 616 goals and been to 54 countries! His obsession with football eventually contributed to a divorce from his much less football-mad wife, but the pair remain on good terms. With the start of the world cup, Brian’s was the perfect story for a national newspaper.
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The Daily Mail
'I'll have Bin Laden's grandchild.'When Louise Pollard heard that a family member had unexpectedly unveiled her to a tabloid newspaper as going through IVF treatment and surrogacy with the Bin Laden family, she wanted to act fast to set records straight and give her version of events. We stepped in and helped, and secured her an exclusive interview in the Daily Mail in which she was able to put across the points that mattered to her.
Sunday People
My mum was killed by a cannibalWhen Sarah Cairns saw the news about Bradford’s ‘Crossbow Cannibal’ she contacted us immediately. Sarah’s mum was murdered by a cannibal 12 years ago and the Bradford murders brought all those painful memories flooding back. Sarah was only 11 when she found out about her mum’s horrific murder and has been plagued by it ever since. After 12 years, Sarah finally felt ready to talk about her dreadful experience. She appeared in the Sunday People and will soon be appearing in a womens magazine too.
The Daily Mail
How I cured my hatred of houseworkWhen author Danielle Raine started following Talk to the Press' tweets on Twitter, she had no idea that just two days later, Natasha would have interviewed her and her story would have appeared as a double page spread in the Daily Mail. But that is exactly what happened. And even better, because of this publicity, Danielle's book, Housework Blues: A Survival Guide (about learing to love housework) shot to number 5 on Amazon's 'Homes & Gardens' bestsellers list!
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The News of the World
What a twit!Stuart Gregory contacted us after a job interview he attended ended in humiliation when the interviewer posted a callous rejection message on Twitter. After attending an interview for a council job as a youth support worker, Stuart was horrified to see the tweet “I will take pleasure telling him he never got the job! Shame, he really wanted it!” posted by the interviewer to his 207 followers just minutes after the meeting had ended. He got in touch with us and his story appeared in the News of the World.
The Daily Mail
I'm Britain's youngest surrogate motherWe all love stories of young people doing inspirational things, and nothing could be more moving than the story of 24-year-old Louise Pollard – who, in a bid to help a childless couple, has had two surrogate babies and is now trying for a third. Aged just 21 when she had her first surrogate baby, Louise is thought to be the youngest surrogate mother in the UK. Louise’s incredible story appeared in the Daily Mail and she will soon be appearing in a glossy magazine too.
Bella
I lost my husband to the army - now my son and daughter are signing up too.Inspiring mum Linda Robinson raised her children alone after her army husband was killed in Northern Ireland by the IRA at the age of just 23. Both her children have been determined to follow in their father's footsteps, and her son has recently lost a leg in Iraq - also at the age of 23. Now, Linda's daughter is hoping to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan too. Linda had been nominated for a local mum of the year award and wanted to share how she copes with her family risking their lives for the sake of the country and why she won't be letting her daughter leave the country during her 23rd year.
The Daily Mail
From Hertfordshire to Africa in search of a new lifeIn a perfect illustration of how we work with charities and official organisations to help them raise their profiles, we got in touch with Alison Cowan and her family via the VSO. We’d told the VSO about our work placing true life stories in the press and they understood that if one of their volunteers told their story, it would be excellent publicity for their organisation. Alison’s story appeared in the Daily Mail, and contact details for the VSO were also included on the article.
The Daily Mirror
'A cyber-stalker ruined my life for five years'Elle Richardson emailed us saying 'Will a newspaper buy my story?' Elle had spent five horrific years being stalked online, with her tormentor sending her up to 30 messages a day and threatening to 'slit her throat.' Elle's tormentor has now been caught, but furious that the woman in question got off with a police caution, Elle has become a vociferous campaigner for greater policing of the internet. We were pleased to help Elle raise the profile of her cause by sharing her own personal story and will continue to work with Elle in the future.
The Daily Mail
'In hiding - because I told my child she was born by c-section'Shahnaz got in touch with us having fled the UK to escape what she says are over-zealous social workers. Social workers became involved in Shahnaz's life after she told her daughter that she was born by caesarean section. As a result, Shahnaz faced ongoing scrutiny and her daughter was on a 'child protection plan.' Fearing her daughter would be taken from her, Shahnaz fled the UK and now says she's too frightened to return. We placed Shahnaz's story in the Daily Mail.
The Daily Mirror
'Ashamed of my involvement in pro-anorexic websites.''Would a newspaper buy my story?' asked Samira Jay, when she filled out our story submission form. She developed anorexia at the age of 12, and wanted to discuss her involvement with pro-anorexic websites, and shares the shocking photographs she posted on the internet to inspire other girls to lose weight too. Now, Samira has recovered, and is desperate to help other girls who are suffering and we placed her story in the Daily Mirror.
The Daily Mail
'I gave birth to twins - twice - in under a year!'When we discovered TTTP client Hazel Bowden is the only known women in the UK to have had twins – twice – in under a year, we knew newspapers would be fighting over her story. The Daily Mail offered her the best deal for her story. In the article, Hazel describes how the stress of dealing with two pregnancies and four babies in such a short space of time pushed her marriage to the brink, but thanks to counselling, she and her husband Andy now have things back on track. The couple were really pleased with their story, and the supportive comments they got from Daily Mail readers. The couple and their lovely children will soon be appearing in a women's magazine.
Best
'My husband and I weighed 41 stone between us - and we halved our body weight.'Nick and Gerri Page used to weigh 41 stone between them, until they were publicily humiliated when they couldn't fit into a ride at Alton Towers. The couple vowed to change their ways and enrolled on the Cambridge Diet. In just seven months, they both halved their body weight, and wanted to share their inspiring story and incredible photographs with other people.
Grazia
'Binge drinking drove me to early menopause.'Maria Clyne was one of many people who got in touch with us after seeing us on a recent Cutting Edge documentary. She wanted to raise the profile of her Harley Street addiction practise by talking about her own battle with alcohol. We placed her story in Grazia magazine and it will soon be appearing in a national newspaper.
The Sunday Mirror
'Taken from my family by Dad'Our client Hannah was featured in the centre pages of the Sunday Mirror, telling how she was recently reunited with her family after being taken abroad against her will – and kept there for over a decade. We are now negotiating a magazine deal for Hannah and her mum.
The Daily Mail
From producing Big Brother - to running my own baby charityTalk to the Press client Lucy Buck’s story appeared on the front cover of the Daily Mail’s Femail magazine. Lucy, a former television executive who worked on programmes such as Big Brother, has given up her career to start her own charity and is about to open the doors of her orphanage in Kampala. Hers is in incredibly inspiring and life affirming story. On seeing her story, Lucy emailed us: “oh my god…we are absolutely inundated. I want to thank you for lovely article – I can’t believe I am on the front page. People are writing really lovely comments about our project! Thank you so much. My Mum has gone and bought a load of copies! xxx.” We're thrilled to have been able to help Lucy gain publicity for her new charity.
The Mirror'My twins are fighting for their life.'Last month, TTTP client Karen Johnston appeared on the front page of the Mirror telling her true life story. The paper nicknamed her ’supermum’ after she revealed she was already a mum of 8 – and pregnant with twins at the age of 54. The twins had been concieved via egg donation from the Czech Republic. Now, in an unexpected twist, Karen’s twins, Imogen and Asa have arrived almost three months early. Thankfully, doctors say their prognosis is good. Karen, who nearly died giving birth to the twins, granted an exclusive interview to the Mirror and in which she shared pictures of her tiny son and daughter. We have also secured her a joint deal with two women's magazines.
News of the World
'I nearly killed my lover with my L cup breasts'As soon as Claire Smedley got in touch with us, we knew the News of the World would love her story – and we were right! Claire has extremely large 40LL breasts and wanted to share her story about how they have affected her life. What she had to say was quite incredible: for a start, Claire, an otherwise completely normal mother of three, regularly has strangers in supermarkets asking to touch her breasts. She also nearly suffocated her boyfriend Steven during sex. Claire is now single and planning a career in modelling and wanted to share her story to help her get publicity. We have also secured Claire a magazine deal for her story.
The Daily Mail
'I've given up my life to care for my identical twin sister.'As identical twins, there was little that Lyndsey and Ella Noden didn’t do together. But in June 2001, their parallel lives were torn apart when Ella was attached by a stranger and left with severe head injuries. In an incredibly selfless act, Lindsey has given up on boyfriends, and her dreams of opening a beauty salon, to be her sister’s full time carer. The girls now live together and thanks to Lindsey’s dedication, Ella is now able to walk, talk and has a chance of succesfullly rehabilitating herself back into society. As soon as we described Lindsey’s devotion to her twin the Daily Mail, they were keen to feature the sister’s in the newspaper. We are now negotiating a magazine deal for the girls.
Closer
'It takes just minutes to get killer drug Meow Meow'When Meow Meow addict Jonathan Lally got in touch with us and told us he wanted to talk to the press about the drug and how rife its consumation is amongst his student peers, we knew a number of publications would be interested in hearing from him. We secured him a deal with Closer magazine who travelled up to meet him in Leeds to conduct a special investigation into the topic. Jonathan showed the Closer reporter around town and introduced her to all the people she needed to talk to for her story, and was also interviewed for the article.
News of the World
Seven year old boy passes maths A-level paper with an A grade!When a friend of Yasha Ayari Asley’s family got in touch with Talk to the Press to tell us about a seven-year-old who was achieving amazing things, we were confident that a national newspaper would be interested in speaking to such a remarkable boy. Always bright, Yasha started reading at a young age and speaks four languages – English, French, Arabic and Farsi. As he whizzed ahead of the other children in his state primary school, his father, Moussa, decided to enrol Yasha into an A-level maths exam. Although he hadn’t received the results when we first spoke to him, Moussa knew he had done the right thing when Yasha had branded the tough paper ‘easy-peasy’. And when he did receive his mark, no-one was disappointed. He’d scored an A, making him the youngest person in the world to achieve such a grade at A level maths. Overwhelmed with pride by his son’s achievement, Moussa immediately got back in touch with us and Yasha's story appeared in the News of the World and the Daily Mail.
News of the WorldPregnant - nine years AFTER going through early menopause.When Cassie phoned into the TTTP office, we knew she had an heartwarming story. Cassie has finally fallen pregnant – nine years after going through the menopause. Cassie was only 21 when her periods became erratic after giving birth to her first son, Blake. She’d put it down to hormones but in 2005, a consultant had told Cassie she’d experienced an early menopause. Shocked, she’d searched for other ways to conceive, even going through special hormone tests to see if IVF was an option. But as she awaited the results, she started to feel unwell and a test confirmed she was already expecting her second child. Cassie is now excitedly waiting to give birth and feels truly blessed to be given the chance to be a mum again.
Sunday People magazine
'I found my missing brother - after 23 years.'Brenda Barlow emailed us and asked 'Can I sell my story'? Her brother went missing 23 years ago, and although the rest of her family gave up hope, Brenda has searched for him tirelessly ever since. Incredibly, last year, after taking out an advert in a newspaper in Australia, she found her brother. Brenda's story appeared in the Sunday People magazine.
Real People
'Traumatised by my rat attack.'Safiya-Mae emailed us wanting to tell her extraordinary story about being attacked by a rat – the size of a cat! Safiya had just moved into her first flat when she was woken in the night by a strange squeak. Seconds later, she felt something heavy crawl onto her face then searing pain tore into her lip. Safiya ended up contracting Weil's disease, a potentially fatal bacterial infection carried by rats. Thankfully she has made a full recovery. Her story appeared in Real People magazine.
That's Life
I lost half my body weight in six months22 year old Charlotte Sutton emailed us wanting to know if any magazines would buy her story about weight loss. As soon as we saw her pictures, which depicted her weight loss journey beautifully, we knew a women's magazine would be interested in interviewing Charlotte. That's Life magazine made the highest offer for Charlotte's story and she was featured on their front cover.
The Mirror
'I'm 54, a mum of eight and pregnant with twins.'Karen Johnston filled out our sell story submission form just over a week ago with her incredible story of expecting twins at 54 via egg donation from the Czech republic. Karen already has a two year old daughter concieved in the same way. Today, her story appears on the front page of the Mirror and we have a number of television programmes and women's magazines interested in interviewing her too.
The People
'Why I stay with my cheating husband'In the wake of revelations about footballer John Terry’s wife forgiving his infidelity, Evey Smith got in touch with us wanting to share her story about her husband Rob, a musician. Rob has cheated on Evey 20 times since they married just two years of their marriage, but Evie is sticking by her man and says she accepts his desire to sleep with other women. Their story appeared on the front page of People newspaper and will soon be featured in a women's magazine.
New magazine
I'm determined to beat my prescription drug addictionPauline Bell, a housewife who has been addicted to prescription drugs for 14 years, has appeared in New magazine to talk about her painful experience. Pauline first became addicted to painkillers co-codamol and tramadolwhen she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic condition that causes pain all over the body. Her addiction lead to her purchasing the drugs on the black market. She contacted us earlier this year and we sold her story to the Daily Mail, and subsequently to New magazine. Pauline was thrilled with the article and thanked feature writer Boo for telling her story so tastefully.
Reveal magazineI paid a man for sex.Emma Menyon is on our mailing list, and responded to our newsletter in which we informed our clients the Sun were looking for an intelligent and articulate woman to talk about the benefits of using a male escort. Emma fitted the bill perfectly, and having already appeared in the Sun, we then sold her story again to Reveal magazine, earning herself double her fee.
The Sun
My husband and I halved our body weight.Maxine Reakes got in touch with us last year to talk about her incredible weight loss story. She dropped half her body weight after realising just how much her size was holding her back. She slimmed down from 22st to 11st in just six months and inspired by her success, her husband Justin also adopted a healthier lifestyle. Now the couple feel better than ever and confess that their sex life has improved 100 per cent. The couple have already appeared in a women's magazine, and this month, shared their story with the Sun. They are also appearing on GMTV.
Closer
Mum stole my husbandWhen Zoe Cummings got in touch to tell us that her husband had run off with her mum, we instantly knew she had an amazing story to share. Zoe and her mum were estranged for a few years but now, they are moving on and trying to put the past behind them. Zoe has even remarried after finding happiness with a family friend. This week, the trio appear in Closer magazine and we have also got them a deal with another women’s weekly. They are also booked to go onto This Morning soon.
Look magazine
Dad kidnapped me, then mum snatched me back, but I still love both my parents.Georgina Han and her daughter Jayhan contacted us last year with their incredible story. In 1993, Georgina had made national headlines after staging a daring raid to snatch her daughter back from her ex husband who had abducted her. Now, 20 years on, the pair wanted to talk about the legacy of the abduction and snatch back, the rift that has existed between them and how they've finally become close again. We sold their story to the Daily Mail and Best magazine last year, and this month, Jayhan has given an interview to fashion magazine Look.
Sunday MirrorI was a size 00 and suffering from severe anorexia, but was still deemed too fat to be a model.When former catwalk model Inga got in touch with us with her story about her battle with anorexia and how her career was responsible, we knew she had a story newspapers would want. We ended up with two of the country's biggest papers bidding for her story, which we sold to the Sunday Mirror.
News of the WorldFrom Wii fit to well fit!Lara Roberts shed an impressive 8st in a year after she started exercising using Wii Fit, the Nintendo gaming console. Now she weighs in at nine-and-a-half stone and feels more confident than ever. Lara got in touch asking if we could sell her inspirational weight loss story, and we arranged for her to appear in the News of the World. She also recorded a video for the paper's website demonstrating the exercises she does every day.
Woman
Mum was murdered by her lodger - and we're still fighting for justice.Tom Sebastiano and his sister Julie Bogacz contacted us having had a lot of press interest in their lives following their mother's brutal murder at the hands of her lodger a year ago. Tom and Julie had reached a point where they were ready to talk about what had happened and how it had impacted their lives, and most importantly, the fact they feel justice has not been served. Tom and Julie's story has already appeared in the Daily Mirror and they will soon be featured in a Cutting Edge documentary too. Tom and Julie keep a blog about their situation, which can be seen at http://justice-denied.blogspot.com/
The Daily Mail
Confessions of a middle class prescription drug addictAs soon as we heard about Pauline Bell's topical story, we knew a newspaper would want to interview her. Pauline has spent the past 14 years addicted to prescription drugs after going to the doctor to get painkillers for Fibromyalgia. We sold Pauline's story to the Daily Mail and she was thrilled with the final piece. You can see what she said about our services by visiting our testimonials page.
Love it!
How I finally found the courage to jail the paedophile who abused me - 30 years after he committed his crimes.'Help me sell my story' wrote Carol Hartley when she emailed us. Carol had been through an experience which had called on all her courage - reporting the paedophile who abused her 30 years on. As a result of her coming forward, he admitted his guilt and recieved a suspended sentence. Carol is thrilled to finally have justice after so long and wanted to sell her story to inspire other people it's never too late to get a conviction.
Best magazine
I lost 11 stone in just 6 months.Maxine Reakes emailed us wanting to share her experiences of losing an incredible 11 stone in six months. The weight loss has transformed Maxine's entire life and her marriage too, with her husband John telling us he feels like he's living with a new woman. Maxine's inspiring weight loss story is featured on the front cover of this week's Best magazine.
Essentials
My best friend and I have shared everything, even breast cancerDebbie Chapman and Lisa Smith have been best friends for 30 years and shared everything together, from weddings, children and divorce. Most recently, they were both given then news within a few weeks of each other that they have breast cancer. We sold their story to Essentials magazine. Thankfully both Debbie and Lisa are now in recovery.
Closer
Day in the life of a teenage mumElle Townsend emailed us asking if she could share her experiences to warn other teenagers that being a young mum is not easy. We sold her story to Closer magazine.
Take a BreakMy brother and I raced each other to get slim.We were emailed by brother and sister Scott and Jeanette. Both had been overweight for many years, and thanks to Scott, both had embarked on strict diet and exercise regimes. We sold their story to Take a Break magazine.
The Sun
A male escort healed my broken heart.Emma Menyon is on our mailing list, and responded to our newsletter in which we informed our clients the Sun were looking for an intelligent and articulate woman to talk about the benefits of using a male escort. Emma fitted the bill perfectly, and was paid well for her time.
Chat magazine
I had a gastric band at 14.Last year, Katie Hill became the youngest person in the UK to have a gastric band operation. Then, we sold her story to the Sunday Mirror and Woman magazine, securing her a significant fee. Now, we've sold her story again to Chat magazine, who were doing a report on gastric bands, earning her even more money.
Love it!
From front line to front page!A few years ago, Kayleigh Thewlis was a soldier fighting on the front line in Iraq. Now, she's given up her army career and become a model, and has even appeared on the front cover of a women's magazine. As soon as we heard about her incredible career change, we knew a magazine would jump at the chance to speak to her. We sold her story to Love it! magazine.
Best
'I risked my life to snatch my daughter from my estranged husband, but my actions left a rift in our relationship.'Georgina Han and her daughter contacted us with their incredible story. In 1993, Georgina had made national headlines after staging a daring raid to snatch her daughter back from her ex husband who had abducted her. Now, 20 years on, the pair wanted to talk about the legacy of the abduction and snatch back, the rift that has existed between them and how they've finally become close again. We sold their story to Best magazine.
ChatMy gastric band nearly killed meLast year, Gaynor Curtis appeared on the front page of the Daily Mail with her cautionary tale about her experiences with a gastric band. This month, we sold her story again, earning her more money, and she's now in the pages of Chat magazine.
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