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25.
July
2018.
Self-made millionaire says her domestic abuse made her who she is today

 

 

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JULY 25 2018

 

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY:

Childhood abuse super survivor, serial entrepreneur and self-made millionaire says the mental scars can fade
despite enduring an entire childhood of domestic violence

 

  • Government launches new £8m fund to help support children affected by domestic violence.

 

  • Estimates are 1 in 5 children in the UK witness or are exposed to domestic abuse annually left with mental scars that are impossible to eradicate as they grow to be adults.

 

  • The Home Office Minister, Baroness Williams of Trafford said on Channel 4 News "There is a huge recognition that children are significantly affected by domestic violence whether they are witnesses or are victims of domestic violence and this can stay with them for the rest of their lives so this (fund) is so significant in stopping that cycle of abuse from perpetuating".

 

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Her book No Fourth River takes the reader on a difficult journey as she relays the abuse she suffered at the hands of her tyrannical father

Serial entrepreneur and author Christine Clayfield says:

"These scars can fade. I suffered extreme domestic violence at the hands of my tyrannical father during my childhood in Belgium. He told me I was worthless and useless during his many physical punishments. After surviving a coma that I was put into at the hands of my first husband who was also an abusive man, the worm turned and I set about being in control of my life and proving all my detractors that I am worth it and that I could do it.

I am now a self-made millionaire having set up over 15 businesses using the guts and determination I didn't have during my childhood.

My mission is to inspire children and adults who are victims of domestic violence and to show them that there is the light at the end of the tunnel".

Christine wrote No Fourth River, a novel based on a true story. A profoundly moving book about a woman's fight for survival. It makes very challenging reading as you witness the events she endured in her life but the story ends well when she totally turns her life around and discovers sport and then running multiple businesses that helped to take her away from what she has suffered. 

She has lived in the UK for over 25 years and is happily married with twins.

Christine is available for interview to talk on the topic of domestic abuse as a survivor. 

She encourages people to share their stories of domestic abuse or their bad past with the hashtag: #BraveMe.

As a result of her childhood she has various health conditions and anxieties:

  • Irreparable short-term memory problems. When she has to do something, she writes it down immediately; otherwise, two seconds later, it will be wiped from her memory forever. This is because of too much stress as a child and young adult.
  • Anxiety when in a room: given a choice, she will never sit in a room where she can't see who is behind her. She needs to feel safe and see what's coming at her. For example, in a restaurant, she always chooses a table so she can oversee what is going on and nobody can creep up on her. This is as a direct result of bad memories when her first husband used to attack her from behind and hit her with his full fist on her back. 
  • She has a deep, low voice. People on the phone often call her "sir." This low voice is apparently due to too much stress as a child.
  • She has Restless Legs Syndrome. One specialist believes that this might be because her legs have been wet during the night or have been on damp sheets, due to her bedwetting as a result of the stresses caused by the domestic violence, for a large part of her life.

-ENDS- 

 Notes to editors:

  • Christine Clayfield, 59 years old, has set up 15 businesses, the first of which saw her selling Apple computers in the 1980's. She became the best reseller in Belgium thanks to her grit and determination.
  • See images of her life story here: www.nofourthriver.com/pictures
  • She turned her life around after her coma and became a leading triathlete often coming first.
  • During her years of abuse she dreamt of having twins she could look after and give the love she never had, she succeeded and had twin girls with her second husband who is her rock.
  • Christine was sent off to strict boarding school aged 5 where her bed wetting problem was a source of bullying from the nuns and pupils. Every morning she was paraded through all the dormitories holding the wet bedsheets so everyone could see and jeer at her.

 
 

Press contact:

Amanda Ruiz

Email: hello@amandaruiz.co.uk

Tel 07711 419595

Contact Christine Clayfield:

http://nofourthriver.com/media

Tel: 01233 733 993

Email: info@christineclayfield.com

www.nofourthriver.com

www.christineclayfield.com