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Outlook: How the Spice Girls saved my life

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How the Spice Girls saved my life

04/01/2023 GMT

BBC World Service - Outlook, How the Spice Girls saved my life

Isolated and rejected as a gay teen, a pop band showed David Montgomery how to live again

Isolated and rejected as a gay teen, David Montgomery retreated into himself - but then he watched a Spice Girls pop video that opened the door to a new life.

David Montgomery knew he was gay from a young age. Born into a conservative family in the US, he never felt accepted. Isolated and misunderstood by friends, he retreated into himself. Then in the late 90s he saw a pop music video, and was enthralled by a group of women who appeared to have no care for what people thought. They were the Spice Girls, and David became obsessed. His new found passion coaxed him out of his room and led him to rediscover himself. So when Posh, Baby, Ginger, Sporty and Scary reunited for a world tour, David made another big decision. 

Angela Hui's early life was dominated by food — her parents' take away shop was her home, where she would play, do her homework and meet the locals of Beddau, a small town in Wales. It was also a place where Angela, born to Chinese parents, would try to unpick where her Chinese identity ended and where her British one began. Angela's book is called Takeaway: Stories from a childhood behind the counter.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Andrea Kennedy

(Photo: David Montgomery and Victoria Beckham. Credit: Courtesy of David Montgomery).

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