LAUGHTER and applause frequently filled the air of the Arts Centre’s auditorium on Monday evening as comedian and writer Francesca Martinez gave a life-affirming talk about her struggles with self-acceptance.

She had a lively chat with Swindon Festival of Literature organiser Matt Holland about growing up with cerebral palsy (which she prefers to call ‘being wobbly’), how she used to worry about what people thought of her, and the immense pressure she felt to be ‘normal’.

Francesca zig-zagged from delivering raucous one-liners to speaking eloquently about her difficulties and offering inspirational advice, taking the audience on an emotional rollercoaster which had them laughing uproariously one minute and murmuring solemnly in sympathy and agreement the next.

“Don’t waste your life not liking yourself, so many people struggle with not feeling good enough,.

“It’s such a travesty that we spend so much time worrying about trivialities.

“We are told to focus on what we don’t have in our aspirational materialistic culture, but once you accept who you are and start focusing on what you do have, everything changes.”

The hour was part motivational seminar, part stand-up routine, with Francesca examining society’s superficiality and the widespread unhappiness that consumerism can cause, particularly amongst young people who struggle with self-confidence and body image issues despite being in the prime of their lives.

Many of her observations were greeted with rapturous applause.

She talked about how an audition for a role in Grange Hill helped her escape constant bullying in her all-girl high school, how she was disappointed by condescending doctors who spoke to her like she couldn’t think for herself, and how the advice that changed her entire perspective on life came from someone who turned out to be “a massive a*sehole”.

“Corrosive labels put on me because of how I spoke, how I looked, and how I walked made me feel like a faulty product.

“Any suffering I’ve had isn’t because I’m ‘wobbly’, it’s because I live in a world where people don’t accept difference.”

Appreciative audience members who were deeply moved by her story thanked her during the Q&A section of the hour.

Matt Holland was typically enthusiastic and likeable, often expressing his admiration for Francesca and her attitude to life while he asked her about her new book ‘What The **** Is Normal?’

She wrote the book to challenge the perception of what is normal and encourage others who lack confidence because they dislike who they are.

“All of us deserve to go through life feeling good and accepted.”