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The question

What disappointment has stayed with you longest?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

This exact question recurs in The Guardian's institutional Q&A pool.

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Others on this question

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Sara Pascoe English comedian, presenter, writer
My A-level results - I got two Cs and an A. I had applied to do philosophy at Cambridge, and thought my life was over.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 28 July 2018 source ↗
Ashley Jensen Scottish actress and narrator
Hollywood Boulevard, it’s grubby, sticky and somehow terribly sad.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 28 October 2017 source ↗
The Covid years. My life is diminished since then. I lost my brother. My children lost some social expression, and we are still recovering from that.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 19 April 2025 source ↗

More from Serena Williams

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Question What made you stop something you were known for, and how did you know it was time? Time & hindsight
I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn't feel like a modern word to me. I've been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I'm up to is evolution. I'm here to tell you that I'm evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.
Recorded First-person essay, Vogue September 2022 issue, 9 August 2022 source ↗

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