Agony aunt

I have been an agony aunt (advice columnist) for over 20 years, advising both teenagers and adults on sex and relationships, family problems and career concerns, among other issues.

At 15, during my summer holidays, I visted the offices of (sadly now defunct) teenage magazine, Just Seventeen, and met the agony aunt, who was the author of my favourite column in the magazine. She let me look through the letters she'd received that week and, from that moment, I knew I wanted to follow in her footsteps.

I have always had a fascination with psychology and a desire to help people (I volunteered for Nightline at university and did a counselling course) and, for me, being an agony aunt perfectly combines this with my writing and research skills. As an agony aunt, you have to be both empathetic and give helpful advice, which is of use – and entertaining reading – to the general reader, as well as the letter writer. Unlike therapy, it's not an ongoing relationship, so you have to be able to analyse the issues and offer possible solutions succintly, as well as researching further sources of help and signposting to them. 

In April 2016, I was appointed the agony aunt for The Jewish Chronicle, the first in the paper’s 175-year history. Prior to that, I spent 12 years as a relationship adviser for askthesite, part of the advice and information website run by the charity Youthnet (now The Mix).

I have also been an advice columnist for Sky.com and I was agony aunt for the teen magazine CosmoGirl! from its launch in 2001 until it folded in 2007.

As an agony aunt, I have contributed quotes, opinion pieces and open letters to celebrities to newspapers including the Daily Mail and The Independent.

I have also appeared on radio and TV shows as an agony aunt, offering advice, taking part in phone-ins and commenting on news stories (see TV and Radio section).

I’ve filmed some shorts for the information website, Video Jug, offering advice to children and their parents.

Contact me about advice →