I found a copy of her book in a charity shop recently so read it. I agree, a lot of its contents had already been posted online (albeit a lot of them have been deleted from the internet now).
I initially really took to Cash. I think I must have come to know of her around the refuge ceiling collapse time. I spent time in a refuge/safe house as a child and grew up experiencing domestic violence, seeing my mum basing our entire food shop around the clearance section of the supermarket etc. I empathised for both her and her daughter.
I donated to her cash for Cash thing - I said I didn’t want to ask a question I just appreciated her speaking out on behalf of women like me. She didn’t acknowledge it but at the time I didn’t expect any response.
She offered me a free ticket to her Refuge Women show, and I was so appreciative.
I remember spending a whole evening finding her writing online and absorbing it. The how I lost my vagina story (which is still online and also features in the book) shocked me, I really felt for her... but then one of her (since deleted) pieces of writing also stated the story of the tampon and house mistress was a ‘story’ and not true. I started to find it all a bit weird - eg the Instagram photo of a caravan on the council estate about someone having thrown out all their belongings (a couple having a fight I think?). It even referenced her daughter - we all assumed it to be a real story and some people commented feeling sad for the person whose caravan was in the photo. She then went on one of her ‘it’s art, it’s not true, am I not allowed to make art?’ rants. Which is a valid point, but when you don’t clarify something is a story, especially when it references your daughter and fits the narrative of your life, how is anyone supposed to know what is truth and what is fact.
claiming a food bank voucher and paying to print not a Tory cards/post them out within the same timeframe also didn’t sit well with me. I actually requested one and never got a reply/never received one. The only people I saw who got them were actually the relatively popular instagrammers.
I have to say, a lot of her book does tie up to the timeline I remember from her Instagram. But a couple of things stood out for me.
- in the book she states she’s 5 weeks pregnant when she takes the pregnancy test. Online, she states 10 weeks (and those articles are still online)
- in the book, she states no one congratulated her on the pregnancy and assumed she would have an abortion. The first person to congratulate her was a teen outside a shop. Online she states her key worker who met her off the train from Grantham was the first to congratulate her
- the book contains the tampon story, but in a since deleted piece online she said that story was fictional
it’s sad and I do think she’s very confused. I hope her and her daughter are living comfortably now.
No Cash, if you bullshit people and aren’t a good liar people will call you out