My Lifey

Paddy McGuinness surprises everyone, including himself, with his story of young Patrick, the tearaway teen from Bolton who ended up on prime-time TV.

Get the kettle on, the biscuits out and settle in for a belting read.

Let Paddy McGuinness take you back, far, far away from celebrity land, to a two-up, two-down terrace in 1970s Bolton, where he grew up. They were happy times, but money was tight. Paddy slept on a mattress he dragged in from the street, and at 17 he struggled severely with the stress of juggling a college course and two jobs to support his beloved mum.

But while cash may have been short, grit and wit were in over-supply, and this is the improbable true story of the lad who went from kipping in abandoned cars in Bolton to racing supercars on Top Gear, via laying concrete floors in prisons, a lively career in a leisure centre, a showbiz intervention by school pal Peter Kay and eye-popping adventures in the world of teledom.

There has been mischief and misadventure, joy and sorry, huge success and unexpected challenges. It’s a lifey well lived, and an unforgettable personal memoir written from the heart.