MS
Not being able to keep up piano lessons. I did a year and I was really good and loved it and then my parents couldn’t afford for me to continue.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 April 2018 source ↗
The question
What disappointment has stayed with you longest?Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
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Others on this question
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Mary Berry
English food writer and television presenter
My exam results at school, but it was all my own fault.
Nish Kumar
British stand-up comedian and presenter
In the last couple of years, Britain.
David Haye
British boxer
Being let down by people I trust always stings.
My A-level results in 1998. I flunked my history A-level and lost my place at Cambridge. It broke my heart for years; now I’m really glad, because I pull out the whole “I went to a polytechnic” thing. But at the time for a teenager who was rather pleased with herself, it was absolutely devastating.
More from Meera Syal
View profile →My parents. They have been the best example of a loving and respectful marriage over 60 years.
On a school trip to Wales when I was 12. My canoe capsized and got stuck upside down next to a rock. I was underwater for about 30 seconds but it felt a lot longer.
Often, with laughter.
Having to clean out my daughter’s digs at university. The memory of the state of that toilet still lives with me.
Holidays. For years, I would book a big house in Britain for a week for the entire family. There would be 14 of us. I don’t regret a penny.
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