Presenter AJ Odudu shared a “top bunk” single bed with her younger sister growing up as one of eight children in a working-class family in Blackburn.
Speaking to the Big Issue from a Trussell (formerly known as Trussell Trust) food bank in her hometown, Odudu reflects: “I kind of did know we were working-class – not everyone [at school] was on free school meals, and not everyone in my class was sharing beds, that sort of thing. I shared the top bunk with my younger sister for years.”
Odudu was the sixth of eight siblings born to Nigerian immigrant parents – her mother worked as a cleaner, while her father made a living as a joiner. “We struggled financially growing up, but I was never hungry, I was never cold. Growing up in a working-class family, we leaned on support.
“We had the support of good free education at our local comprehensive school, the support of the advice that you can get at your local town hall, the support that you can get by having access to a computer a couple of days a week in the local library… that’s reducing, people are being left behind.”
AJ Odudu has backed our new campaign, the Big Community, which aims to unite the voices of people across the UK to demand more action on poverty for the government. “The Poverty Zero campaign from Big Issue is a great way to give a voice to those all over the UK who are experiencing poverty, especially those in areas that can often feel left behind,” she says.
The Big Brother presenter is speaking to the Big Issue from a Trussell food bank in her hometown of Blackburn. “I want to be here; I want to play my part,” she says. “I want to cheerlead all these amazing volunteers who are filled with hope and ambition. But it’s also obviously very harrowing to hear that need has increased.
