AN author who suffered years of mental and physical abuse in the care system has opened up about his traumatic childhood.
Paul Connolly, who was illiterate until his 20s, has shared his harrowing story in a series of books.
Who is Paul Connolly?
Paul Connolly was just a two-week-old baby when he was abandoned in a dustbin after his mum suffered a breakdown.
He was taken to a care home for babies and toddlers in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
He was later transferred to St Leonard's children's home in Hornchurch, Essex, where he suffered years of abuse.
Connolly revealed that he would never sleep in his own bed, instead opting to lie under it with a knife for protection.
Read More in News
The children’s home ran from the late sixties to the early eighties and was operated by Tower Hamlets London Borough Council.
Connolly began attending a boxing club when he was 11 years old.
He eventually fell into a violent lifestyle and was in court facing a ten-year prison sentence for grievous bodily harm and grievous bodily harm with intent in 2000.
After that moment, he started to change his life around and leave his violent past behind.
Most read in The Sun
Connolly received £16,000 in compensation from Tower Hamlets Council in recognition that it had breached its duty of care.
At age 48, he began writing his first book, Against All Odds, which was published on Amazon and became a big success.
After the success of his first book, Connolly went on to write two further biographies and become a gym instructor with high-profile celebrity clients.
His clients include Elle MacPherson, Demi Moore and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Who is Paul Connolly's wife?
Paul and his wife Jo met at a local gym in 2002.
The pair later married and went on to have two children together, Harley and Archie.
They also have a Yorkshire Terrier called Ralph.
What does Paul Connolly do now?
Connolly now lives in Billericay and works with adults and children with special medical conditions.
He also speaks publicly about his experience for Beanstalk, a charity giving literacy support to primary school kids, and is an expert witness in child abuse cases.
Connolly met his half-brother, Frankie, whom he never knew he had, during an episode of Long Lost Family with Davina McCall and fellow presenter Nicky Campbell on ITV.
On meeting Frankie, 62, he said: “When we met there was this familiarity.
“It wasn’t like I was meeting someone new. It was as if I’d known him forever. He is a good guy.
"He’s an old Cockney geezer and I’m a slightly bigger old Cockney geezer.”
The pair discovered they had the same father and even attended the same school, without knowing of each other's existence.
Is Big Boys Don't Cry based on Paul Connolly's life?
The film Big Boys Don’t Cry is based on the true story of Connolly's shocking childhood.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
It was first released in 2020 and added to Netflix in December of that year.
Connolly is played by actor Michael Socha.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErKynZpOke7a3jqecsKtfZ396fZRtb21np528brzArqNmm5%2Bju7C4y7JkrK2iq7a3u9FmmqGhnJm1sLvDaA%3D%3D