KEREN’S AMAZING STALKER STORY IN WOMAN’S OWN

First Features was thrilled to see one its favourite stories in Woman’s Own last month – how Keren Sleigh ended up marrying her stalker!

Keren first approached us with her amazing love story when she and stalker Scott were engaged, and we helped land them an exclusive deal with Pick Me Up magazine. Since then they have appeared in two more publications, alongside beautiful snaps of their 1930s-themed wedding.

They first met at a friend’s birthday in Blackpool back in 1997 and began a relationship which lasted for nine years.

Following the break up however things became difficult as Scott refused to accept it was over. He would leave text messages everyday and at one point even threatened to run away with their daughter Katie, now seven. This obviously had a terrible effect on Keren as she lost weight and felt emotionally shattered.

After leaving the area the harassment ceased and Keren started to get her confidence back. However, believing her daughter would suffer from not having her father in her life Keren, 35, arranged through a solicitor for the two to meet in public accompanied. 

For Katie’s sake Scott and Keren started to meet every fortnight and slowly the trust began to return. Eventually Scott, 47, was allowed to visit Katie at their own home. He explained to Keren that he had acted the way he had through fear of losing Keren and her daughter. The love was rekindled and eventually Scott moved into the Devon family home.

In July 2009 Scott proposed and the two were married on 5 June 2010. Scott says: “I’m just so glad I’ve been given another chance. Marrying Keren was the best moment of my life.”

·         Do you have a unique relationship story? We are always on the lookout for unusual love stories so if you have a story give us a call in confidence on 0207 703 8000 or email us at info@firstfeatures.co.uk. We’ll give you a quick and honest answer!

ONE YEAR ON AND A MILLION STORIES LATER…

 

Senior Feature writer Gemma Aldridge has been with the company for nearly a year now. In that time she’s written on an astonishing array of subjects and to mark her one year anniversary at FF, we’ve set her a quick interview to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the reality of working for a features press agency. Gemma, you have 60 seconds…start the clock!

What story have you most enjoyed working on? The most rewarding ones have been those where we’ve really made a difference to peoples’ lives – Roxanne Sandiford’s ‘Bring My Baby Home!’ for That’s Life! was very sad but really special because we managed to fund her bringing her daughter’s remains back from Italy after 15 years, when no one else would help.

How do you prepare for an interview? I try to clear my mind of everything else, and get ready to listen. It also helps to try and put yourself in the shoes of the person you’re talking to. Other than that, it’s hard to prepare because you never know what you’re going to hear! 

What’s the most surprising thing anyone has told you? “I didn’t go to the toilet for two months,” “I married my stalker,” “I don’t regret being ‘the other woman’” The list is endless. One thing you can be sure of when calling First Features is that we are a pretty unshockable bunch!

Is it difficult to write the story once you’ve done an interview? We make sure we interview thoroughly so by the end I usually have a pretty clear idea of where the story is going. Sometimes it’s hard to keep to a word limit, though!

 What’s the hardest part of your job? Making certain I’ve done justice to someone’s story is very important to me and I always want to make my writing really reflects how they feel, so sometimes that’s difficult.

What have you learnt in the past year, working for First Features? So many things. Most importantly, though, it’s that most people have a story to tell, even if they don’t know what it is!

What does your average day look like? I get into the office at 10am and reply to any calls or emails that have come in overnight. Then after that every day is different – interviewing, writing and liaising with magazines and papers are my main jobs though.

Is it difficult to ‘switch off’ once the working day is over? Absolutely. These are real people we’re dealing with and it’s impossible to just stop thinking about them when I leave the office. I really don’t mind that, though. Having a good relationship with your clients makes the whole job much easier.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job? When a client reads their story in a national paper or magazine and calls me to tell me how happy they are, that feels really good.

What are the most important attributes for a journalist? A ‘can do’ attitude and an ability to think laterally.

What’s your advice to anyone starting out in the industry? Think hard about where you want to be then direct your approach to the right section of the industry. Get as much experience as you can and never give up.

What’s your ideal story? I hear so many stories of love-rats cheating and treating women badly and it really frustrates me. I’d love to do a story about a woman who’s really got her own back in an interesting way!

And finally… What’s your greatest achievement this year? Getting Tracey Pollard and Zara Hartshorn’s story, ‘My 13-Year Old Looks 40’ global exposure has been amazing. It’s been featured in papers and magazines and on TV all over Europe, the US, Australia and even South Africa and we’re now hoping to film a documentary with them, too. It’s very exciting.

Why Sell Your Story?

People from all walks of life come to us with all sorts of reasons for selling their story. But whether it’s to raise awareness about a particular issue, to gain closure on a difficult time in their life or to inspire others, one thing they all enjoy is the money they earn in the process.

We recently carried out a survey to find out what our clients do with the cash they collect and the results were amazing. From holidays to vet bills via birthday parties and cars, First Features  has helped people pay for luxuries and essentials by selling their stories for the highest price possible.

Just some of the things the money has been used for include: cars, holidays, pets, home improvements, bills, Christmas presents, show tickets, clothes and many more.

We even helped one woman bring her dead baby home from Italy when the authorities refused to pay for the flight and allowed another client to build a soft room in her house for her disabled son.

If you’re feeling the pinch or fancy treating yourself to a trip or a new wardrobe, or even if you have something more specific you desperately need to earn cash for, why not give us a ring and tell us about your real life experiences? We may be able to help you sell your story for cash.

First Features helps people to sell their stories about crime, relationships, health, pets, the bizarre and the down right spooky. So give us a call on 020 7703 8000- we may be able to help YOU make some extra cash!

Go to www.firstfeatures.co.uk for more information or email us at info@firstfeatures.co.uk

Not A Happy Accident?

Were you fed up of waiting for your man to get broody? Frustrated and angered by his lack of concern at the time running out on your biological clock? And so…did you tell your partner you were taking contraception when you weren’t and the outcome was a ‘happy accident’?

We’re putting together a feature for a national publication on how some women resort to faking contraception in a bid to start a family. We are interested in hearing from anyone who has had these experiences and is willing to be named and pictured for the piece.

There will be a good fee paid for participants and a chance to read and make any changes to the finished piece before it is published. If you are interested in taking part, please contact us on info@firstfeatures.co.uk or call us on 020 7703 8000.

For more information on our agency please visit www.firstfeatures.co.uk.

We Love Each Other – We Just Don’t Live Together

We are delighted at our most recent feature that came out in the Mirror today, looking at the growing phenomenon of couples that are in long-term loving relationships but don’t live together. With 1.1 million Brits making the conscious decision not to live with their partners, we told the stories of three couples who have opted out of shared living. Whether for financial reasons, distance or the need for space all our couples are happy living apart and wanted to share their relationships with the nation. 

We spoke to Natalie, one half of an independent partnership who said: “It was a fantastic oportunity to share our lifestyle and also to see other couples living in the same way”. She was positive about her experience working with First Features, “It was great and just so easy,” she said.

If you are defying ordinary relationship conventions, we would love to hear from you, please get in touch and let us hear all about it!

Email us at info@firstfeatures.co.uk

Alternatively, Call us on 0207 703 8000

Or take a look at our webiste, www.firstfeatures.co.uk for more information.