About Me

I realised what I wanted to do in life when I was seven.

That was when I first started writing, by keeping a diary, and making stuff (usually recycling egg box cartons into all sorts of strange things.) Today I sometimes wake up and think it's a miracle that I am still loving doing both of these things many years on!

Growing up

I grew up in North London and am the youngest of four sisters so I always had hand me downs which probably explains why fashion is such a big part of my life. My mother was a seamstress, and made clothes for the British high street while my father was a factory worker. I made my first film when I was 14, which was screened on Channel 4 and I got my first job when I was 17 working as a Runner at a post-production house in Soho. I spent my first pay packet on a sewing machine - I was studying A'Level Fashion at the time.

Using my brain

I decided to do a Geography degree just so I could go on a fieldtrip. After three painful weeks of waiting to hear if Cambridge University wanted me even though I missed my grades, I finally ended up at the University of Sussex in Brighton...probably the best twist of fate I've ever experienced.

Within a few days I was running the student radio station, appointed myself the first Fashion Editor of the union magazine and was reviewing all the bands I wanted to see but was never allowed to go to when I was living at home, for the student paper. I didn't pay much attention to my studies but did wrangle a fieldtrip to Las Vegas where I did some research into whether it's really a 24 hour city. I also managed to spend some time in Los Angeles where my project on the reality of the Hollywood Dream was awarded a First - the only one I received in three years!

Getting paid

Perhaps this heading is a little optimistic...to be a writer I did hour upon hour of unpaid and low wage work. Along the way I've temped, worked at Buckingham Palace, for the government and in a nightclub. 

After university I studied for a Post-Graduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism at Harlow College during which time I was offered my first proper job at BBC Children's Magazines. I was appointed as chief craft designer and spent my days cutting and pasting. Then an opportunity to work on an adult craft magazine came up and a few months later I was editing it. Eventually I left to work freelance which is where I am today. I specialise in writing women's lifestyle with a South Asian twist - fashion, Bollywood, health, travel and the like. 

Currently I am also focusing on presenting roles (radio and television). You can watch my showreel here and listen to my radio show The Create Escape every Saturday morning at One Harmony Radio (online or via the Tune In app) between 8am-10am GMT. I am currently also a Reporter for local TV programme The Greenwich Show. 
In my spare time I keep a second blog (CraftandTravel) and run London's most popular Craft Night (The Make Escape) (watch a video about it here.)

Grand plans

A girl needs ambitions and mine include being cast as Batgirl (if Christian Bale ever wants to reprise the role of Batman, I am right here!), performing an Item Dance in a Bollywood movie (ideally starring alongside John Abraham) and representing Bangladesh in The Olympics (I love boxing, mainly for the shiny shorts).

I would also like travel the world learning different crafts (and making a TV programme about it) and to be a female Louis Theroux, spending time living with interesting people and sharing their lives.

If anyone has any advice on how I can achieve any of these things I would love to hear from you!