New year, old stereotypes

Happy New Year everyone – and I’d like to start on an upbeat note … but sadly not. ‘The Undateables’ returns to Channel 4 for a new series on Monday night. For the last four years, this series has brought together people who have medical conditions, disabilities and disfigurements with others with similar conditions (and

World AIDS Day

Charlie Sheen’s recent ‘coming out’ as living with HIV shone a much-needed light on the stigma that still surrounds HIV and AIDS, and set me thinking about parallels with disfigurement. It’s more than thirty years since HIV was discovered, and more than twenty-five years since we lost some high profile names to the condition, such

From isolated recluse to respected citizen – a tale of two people

I was so delighted to be invited to comment last week on the extraordinary meeting of Richard Norris, a face transplant patient, with his donor’s sister, on the BBC and a number of other news outlets. (You can watch me on the Victoria Derbyshire Show on BBC Two from 31m 35s here.) Here was a