When actress Nicola Holt received a message from a film director called Kevin on social media, she was excited to get her teeth into some new projects. Their relationship became romantic and Nicola was hopeful for the future.

But something was niggling her and after some digging she discovered that Kevin had a long term partner and that he was living a double life. The relationship ended and Nicola moved on.... but Kevin didn't.....

She started seeing Kevin everywhere, in areas he would never need to be. And then she looked under her partners car and saw something that would show just how obsessed Kevin had become.

This is REAL LIVES.

If you'd like to support the show and join me over on Patreon, please see here, thank you:

https://patreon.com/REALtruecrimepodcast

The Cyber Helpline - Cyberstalking Action Plan

https://www.thecyberhelpline.com/cyberstalking-action-plan

The National Stalking Helpline

https://www.suzylamplugh.org/pages/category/national-stalking-helpline

How To Detect a GPS Tracker on Your Car

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cuoyuqzm60

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Mandy met her ex-partner, she thought he was the one. But after six months, she started to see a completely different side to him and soon she found herself in a controlling and extremely violent relationship.

Mandy was subjected to severe violence and she was terrified to leave, she even moved her son out of the home to keep him safe.

But after a brutal assault by the man who claimed to love her, she managed to leave. Her abuser is now in prison and she is here today to share her story in the hope that it could save a life.

This is REAL LIVES.

If you'd like to support the show, you can do so here via my Patreon, thank you:

https://patreon.com/REALtruecrimepodcast

If you need help or support with domestic abuse please get in touch with the following organisations:

https://havendas.org.uk/ - UK

https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/ - UK

https://mankind.org.uk/ - Support for male victims

https://safelives.org.uk/ - UK

https://www.victimsupportni.com/help-for-victims/domestic-violence/ - Northern Ireland

https://mapni.co.uk/ - Northern Ireland for men

https://sdvs.ie/ - Ireland

https://www.mensaid.ie/ - Ireland for men

https://www.lifewire.org/ - USA

https://www.thehotline.org/resources/men-can-be-victims-of-abuse-too/ - USA for men

https://www.rizeup.com.au/ - Australia

https://mensline.org.au/family-violence/ - Australia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, I am joined by a woman who we are calling 'Natalie' to protect her identity. Her brother is serving a natural life order for killing two people and Natalie is here to give insight in to what it is like, grieving the loss of her brother, not through death, but through his incarceration.

With approximately 300 people jailed for murder every year in England and Wales, the families of the perpetrators are seldom heard in the media and in a very raw and real interview, Natalie explains how it's impacted her life and why she's chosen to stand by him.

This is REAL LIVES.

If you'd like to support the show, you can do so here, thank you:

https://patreon.com/REALtruecrimepodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When journalist Anke Richter moved to New Zealand, she wanted to explore more of life. So she joined an organisation that promised to help her explore sexuality. But it was a chance encounter with a cult survivor that she was writing a journalistic piece on that she realised that she was also in a cult.

Anke is now one of the worlds most respected 'cult journalists' and advocates and she's here today to tell her story.

This is REAL LIVES.

If you'd like to join me over on Patreon, you can here, thank you so much:

https://patreon.com/REALtruecrimepodcast

Anke's website with links to her book 'Cult Trip' is here, where you can find the best place to buy it in your country:

https://ankerichter.net/

To connect with Anke, please see here:

https://www.facebook.com/ankerichterwriter

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anke-richter-748a3243/

https://www.instagram.com/ankerichterwriter/

For information on Decult - see here:

https://decult.net

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this podcast, please see the organisations below who can help and support you:

https://www.mind.org.uk/ - Mental health support

https://www.spuk.org.uk/ - Suicide Prevention UK

https://www.samaritans.org/ - The Samaritans

https://www.thesurvivorstrust.org/ - For people who have been the victim of sexual abuse (UK)

https://www.rainn.org/ - Sexual Abuse Support USA

https://988lifeline.org/ - Suicide Prevention USA

https://www.nasasv.org.au/support-directory - Sexual Abuse Support Australia

https://www.suicidepreventionaust.org/ - Suicide Prevention Australia

https://www.rcni.ie/useful-links/ - Sexual Abuse Support Ireland

https://www.pieta.ie/ - Suicide Prevention Ireland

https://www.thefamilysurvivaltrust.org/ - Support for cult survivors (UK)

https://www.peopleleavecults.com/services/support-groups - Support for cult survivors & Intervention (global)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of REAL LIVES, Jay Flynn MBE tells the extraordinary story of the two years he spent homeless, sleeping rough and living without certainty. It was a deliberate decision that would go on to shape his life, his career, and his sense of purpose.

But then something changed... Jay was offered help from The Connection at St Martin's charity and now he's the Nation's Favourite Quizmaster, homeless advocate and.... he has an MBE.

This is REAL LIVES.

If you'd like to support the show, you can do so here:

https://patreon.com/REALtruecrimepodcast

To have a go at Jay's Quizzes, please see here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLcSqjJWHJeDWD_SbdorBRw

For his books and social media, please see here:

https://linktr.ee/jayflynn?utm_source=linktree_profile_share

For support with homelessness please see here:

https://www.crisis.org.uk/

https://www.mungos.org/

https://thestreetlink.org.uk/

For the charity that helped Jay, see Connections St Martins:

https://www.connection-at-stmartins.org.uk/

For mental health support, please see here:

https://www.mind.org.uk/ - Mental health & Identity support

https://www.spuk.org.uk/ - Suicide Prevention UK

https://www.samaritans.org/ - The Samaritans

https://988lifeline.org/ - Suicide Prevention USA

https://www.suicidepreventionaust.org/ - Suicide Prevention Australia

https://www.pieta.ie/ - Suicide Prevention Ireland

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tad Nelson is one of Texas' most successful criminal defence attorneys. With Texas being a death penalty state, Tad has saved lives but also defended some of America's most dangerous criminals. He's worked on over 500 jury trials and has a plethora of qualifications under his belt, including certificates in forensic science.

In this episode, Tad tells us what being a criminal defence attorney is really like, how he defends people who have committed the most depraved acts imaginable and why he has spent over 30 years working in the criminal justice system.

This is REAL LIVES.

If you'd like to support the show, you can do so here:

https://patreon.com/REALtruecrimepodcast

To find out more about the work Tad does, please see here:

https://tadlaw.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains references to domestic violence and suicide. Whilst the descriptions are not explicit, please take extra care whilst listening.

In March 2023, Danielle Haggarty was found unresponsive in the flat of a man she was dating on and off for eight years. The circumstance's in this case revealed a disturbing fact - it's not a crime to witness someone dying and not call for help.

Today we're joined by Danielle's brother Jonathan, whose life has been shaped by a series of unimaginable losses, and he is now on a mission to change the law in his sisters name.

This is REAL LIVES.

If you'd like to support the show, you can do so here:

https://patreon.com/REALtruecrimepodcast

To sign Jonathan's petition please see here:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/750545

Justice for Danielle Facebook Group:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584415784649&locale=en_GB

If you need support with mental health and suicidal thoughts, please see the links below to organisations that can help:

https://www.mind.org.uk/ - Mental health & Identity support

https://www.spuk.org.uk/ - Suicide Prevention UK

https://www.samaritans.org/ - The Samaritans

https://988lifeline.org/ - Suicide Prevention USA

https://www.suicidepreventionaust.org/ - Suicide Prevention Australia

https://www.pieta.ie/ - Suicide Prevention Ireland

If you need help or support with domestic abuse please get in touch with the following organisations:

https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/ - UK

https://mankind.org.uk/ - Support for male victims

https://safelives.org.uk/ - UK

https://www.victimsupportni.com/help-for-victims/domestic-violence/ - Northern Ireland

https://mapni.co.uk/ - Northern Ireland for men

https://sdvs.ie/ - Ireland

https://www.mensaid.ie/ - Ireland for men

https://www.lifewire.org/ - USA

https://www.thehotline.org/resources/men-can-be-victims-of-abuse-too/ - USA for men

https://www.rizeup.com.au/ - Australia

https://mensline.org.au/family-violence/ - Australia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Ellen De Meyer delivered her baby girl, she was over the moon to give her son a baby sister. But when her daughter Pia was just 3 months old, Ellen noticed that something was wrong with Pia's movement and strength.

Pia was diagnosed with SMA Type 1, which can be life-limiting. There was a medicine that could save her, but it cost over £1.5m.

And what happened next, is enough to restore anyone's faith in humanity.

This is REAL LIVES.

To join the show's Patreon, please see here:

https://patreon.com/REALtruecrimepodcast

To follow Pia's journey, here Instagram page is here:

www.instagram.com/@teampia2018

or to connect with Ellen please see here:

https://www.instagram.com/ellendm1986

Ellen wrote a book on her experiences, it is currently only available in Dutch:

https://share.google/Vw1sPTuyHt6ffjUoH

To find out more about the signs and symptoms of SMA Type 1, please see here:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/spinal-muscular-atrophy-sma/

'Welcome to Holland' is written by Emily Perl Kingsley and you can find out more about her work here:

https://www.emilyperlkingsley.com/welcome-to-holland

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.