About Me

I have always been an "animal lover", but it wasn't until I was marching through the streets of London as part of a factory-farming demonstration with thousands of animal rights activists that I decided to go vegetarian. The cries of "There's no excuse for animal abuse! End factory farming!" seemed to strike a chord: there really is no excuse for the disgraceful way we treat animals.

I decided that writing was my calling in life and trotted off to university to learn all there was to know about the wonderful world of journalism. Whilst there, I set up a group called Students Against Animal Cruelty, which I later took to a national level. I then became the fashion and features editor of cruelty-free glossy magazine Lifescape, reminding readers everywhere that ethical living is as cool as it gets.

I spent a summer of fun interning at PETA US' headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, where I participated in some "interesting" protests wearing nothing but Burberry's plaid design painted over my body, did lots of office work and ate a ridiculous amount of soya ice cream (mint Oreo flavour, I'll have you know). I am now PETA Europe's staff writer and blogger; I enjoy ridiculing fur foes, applauding animal friends and dishing out the gossip that comes my wicked way.

Loves

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens … no, not really. Although kittens are pretty cute. I love pizza smothered in vegan cheese and faux chicken. My music taste is rather eclectic and ranges from David Bowie and The Smiths (yes, "Meat Is Murder" … well done!) to Tchaikovsky and Nine Inch Nails.

I love travelling and seeing different countries, like Japan and India, and attempting to learn their respective languages so I don't act like a typical Brit ("I.Said.Where.Is.The.Bog?!"). I'm a complete and utter film geek, and I welcome any challenges from readers who think they have seen more films than I have. We can all but try.

Hates

This may seem pretty obvious, but any form of animal abuse is a no-no in my book. I don't like ignorant people and those who bury their heads in the sand … or the phrase "I don't have time to think about what happens to animals". I hate when it's windy and raining at the same time (my umbrella works perfectly well until it gets turned inside-out – ahh, British weather).