I was ashamed of my stammer, until I met Scatman John

As a child, Gina Waggott was ashamed of her voice. She started stammering, or stuttering, at the age of six and tried desperately to hide it. She was bullied at school and told she would never be able to follow the career path she wanted because of her speech. In 1995, her life changed when she heard a new single that was hitting the airwaves in the UK, Scatman by Scatman John aka John Larkin. John also stuttered and the song encourages others who do so to not let it hold them back. Gina became a Scatman John superfan, and two years later reached out to him online. They began an unlikely friendship and John mentored Gina, encouraging her to connect with other people who stutter at the British Stammering Association, now known as STAMMA. For the first time she realised that she had nothing to be ashamed of.

Decades later Gina has written John’s biography, it’s called Scatman John: The Remarkable Story of the World's Unlikeliest Popstar.

This programme contains references to suicide. If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised in this episode, you can find support at befrienders.org

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Rob Wilson

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Gina takes a selfie in front of John's Disque d’Or for Scatman, a framed golden CD that recognises 250,000 singles sold in France. Credit: Gina Waggott)