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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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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.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 March 2026 source ↗
Olly Alexander English singer and actor
Early in my career I got really close to being one of the kids in the Narnia movie. I remember being crushed.
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 March 2025 source ↗

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