I wasn’t very well behaved at school and got in trouble, mainly for backchat and being disruptive in class. So just before my GCSEs, my school wanted to kick me out. My dad said, “Well, can he at least do his exams?” So the agreement was I could do them, but I wouldn’t be there for my A levels. I think it was testament to the fact that I’d spent five years annoying most of the teachers and they were sick of the sight of me. Looking back, that’s probably with good reason.
I had no real idea what I wanted to do with my life. I liked certain bits of school, mainly the social aspects. And I enjoyed exams, which I accept is completely bizarre, but I’m very competitive. From the outside it might’ve looked like I was quite driven, but I just liked the idea of beating other people, which isn’t the same thing!