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Christopher Maloney: Wildcard: Official Autobiography
He was the lad from Liverpool who was shaking so badly that he almost couldn't audition. He then went on to finish third in X Factor 2012. During his time on the show, he was trolled so badly that he had a breakdown, which then led him to the plastic surgeon's table on more than one occasion. He has since confronted one of his trolls for a Channel 5 documentary and spent time in the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2016. He continues to tour, is a regular on the panto circuit, and now runs his own academy for aspiring talent. Bullying, cruise ships, X Factor, plastic surgery, Celebrity Big Brother, pantomime, near-death spider bites and car crashes, Chris has seen it all, and survived...just! This is his story in his own words...so far.
181 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 12, 2018
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November 13, 2018
I didn’t watch The X Factor the year Christopher Maloney was in it but I was aware of who he was, being from the same city as him. Some might say, and in fact have said if you consider the opinions of a ‘journalist’ working at the Scum who is more fame hungry than any reality TV star worthy of reading, that this is a book that didn’t need to be written and that had ‘no demand’ and to be honest I didn’t know about it until I saw it on Kindle Unlimited however having now finished the book I would say that it is a story that was worth writing and is one that I feel is worth reading for numerous reasons.
As somebody that suffers with anxiety and depression myself I am always intrigued to read and hear about it through the eyes of other people, to read about how they manage it on a daily basis and how the hell it can be managed on a stage as big as the X Factor one. But of course Christopher’s problems didn’t begin there but began back when he was in school where he was bullied for being gay. As somebody who didn’t come out till my 20s and hid it for my schooldays, I can say that a large part of that decision was because of going to an inner city comprehensive and seeing other gay people being bullied. Reading about his earlier life really makes you understand the man that he is today in terms of what we have seen on TV. I wouldn’t believe what I’ve read in the press but instead in interviews with Christopher and on shows like CBB where you can see that lasting damage that means the anxiety and depression is always there and never leaves you. His is a story that shows that you can overcome those demons and have the last laugh over your bullies (in fact one of his sought him out years later to apologise, I’ve always wondered what bullies achieve from that and have felt it’s probably to make themselves feel better rather than the person that they bullied).
Chris’s story is also a real insight into the entertainment world of the 1980s and 1990s and is actually in parts quite shocking. I won’t say what actually happens but I had no idea that he had been through so much in his life and the struggles that he had to face along the way. There’s a lot of heartache in this story but a happy ending of sorts at the end when Chris leaves us in the present day. I want to say I enjoyed reading about his time on The X Factor but it was instead of a really dark time and shows the damage that these shows can do, even the comments from the judges that at the time can be quite throwaway but which can have such a negative effect on an already damaged mind. I did however enjoy reading about his time in CBB which remains one of my favourite ever and having read all of the stories from childhood right through to the present day I finished the book with a real fondness for Chris and respect for him sharing his story. So there’s a lot to be taken from this story and those who suffer with anxiety and depression, those who want to understand it more, those who have bullied or been bullied, those who might have been keyboard warriors towards Chris or others in the past or just people who like to read somebody’s life story should definitely check out Wildcard as it’s well worth the read.
As somebody that suffers with anxiety and depression myself I am always intrigued to read and hear about it through the eyes of other people, to read about how they manage it on a daily basis and how the hell it can be managed on a stage as big as the X Factor one. But of course Christopher’s problems didn’t begin there but began back when he was in school where he was bullied for being gay. As somebody who didn’t come out till my 20s and hid it for my schooldays, I can say that a large part of that decision was because of going to an inner city comprehensive and seeing other gay people being bullied. Reading about his earlier life really makes you understand the man that he is today in terms of what we have seen on TV. I wouldn’t believe what I’ve read in the press but instead in interviews with Christopher and on shows like CBB where you can see that lasting damage that means the anxiety and depression is always there and never leaves you. His is a story that shows that you can overcome those demons and have the last laugh over your bullies (in fact one of his sought him out years later to apologise, I’ve always wondered what bullies achieve from that and have felt it’s probably to make themselves feel better rather than the person that they bullied).
Chris’s story is also a real insight into the entertainment world of the 1980s and 1990s and is actually in parts quite shocking. I won’t say what actually happens but I had no idea that he had been through so much in his life and the struggles that he had to face along the way. There’s a lot of heartache in this story but a happy ending of sorts at the end when Chris leaves us in the present day. I want to say I enjoyed reading about his time on The X Factor but it was instead of a really dark time and shows the damage that these shows can do, even the comments from the judges that at the time can be quite throwaway but which can have such a negative effect on an already damaged mind. I did however enjoy reading about his time in CBB which remains one of my favourite ever and having read all of the stories from childhood right through to the present day I finished the book with a real fondness for Chris and respect for him sharing his story. So there’s a lot to be taken from this story and those who suffer with anxiety and depression, those who want to understand it more, those who have bullied or been bullied, those who might have been keyboard warriors towards Chris or others in the past or just people who like to read somebody’s life story should definitely check out Wildcard as it’s well worth the read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review