What I've dedicated my life to is revenge. A brand new drama based on the best-selling novel. They think they're better than us. Who do you think you are? I'm going to prove to them that they're wrong. She's punishing me. You destroyed my family. I will not rest until I've destroyed yours. A woman of substance on Channel 4 starts tonight at 9. There's a dark side to England.

I was so used to just being the daughter of a junkie.

I was quite used to everybody just kind of throwing me away.

We would be in this room filled with the, you know, the crack fumes.

So we would be getting high.

I really was desperate for a small bit of attention.

I ended up getting with him and it was probably the worst decision I could have made.

Gemma Smith comes from wretched conditions.

She was born to teen parents in a drug-infested community in Northern England

and watched her father go back and forth to prison throughout her childhood.

Then when she was in her early 20s, like many traumatized young

women, she found herself in an abusive relationship. Finally, one night, she'd had it. Fearing for her

life, she took a knife out and stabbed her boyfriend repeatedly, nearly killing him. What follows

is her journey through the legal system, fighting her case and the abuse she suffered every step

of the way,

from the courts to prison to the halfway houses.

Today, Gemma has made a full recovery and lives with her husband and their two kids in

southern England.

She speaks out for survivors of domestic abuse by sharing her story on platforms like ours,

and we're very grateful to have spoken to her.

Make sure to follow her on Instagram.

And for more content, go over to patreon.com slash The Connect Show.

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