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Edinburgh Live
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Billie Piper's life from school with Amy Winehouse, teen fame and romance with 'stars'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Billie Piper's journey to stardom as a highly praised actress has been anything but smooth, with her personal life also experiencing its fair share of turbulence. However, she's managed to amass an impressive net worth and is a proud mother to three children. The 42 year old Swindon native first shot to fame nearly three decades ago as a teenage pop sensation. She later transitioned into acting, taking on the role of Rose Tyler, companion to Christopher Eccleston's Doctor in the 2005 revival of Doctor Who. Her performance took both critics and viewers by surprise, and she continues to impress with her acting prowess today. READ MORE -Netflix's new crime thriller hailed 'mind-blowing' as viewers demand multiple seasons READ MORE -Rio Ferdinand's life now with luxury move abroad, famous wife and 'health scare' Fast forward 20 years, and Billie has once again left us astounded. In the series finale, Ncuti Gatwa's current Doctor Who regenerated to reveal Billie, believed to be the new Doctor. It's a remarkable return to the show that initially put her on the acting map, reports the Mirror. Away from the cameras, however, Billie has faced some challenging times. Here, the Mirror takes a look back at her life so far, from her troubled teenage years, pop star fame, tumultuous love affairs and substantial net worth.... Schoolmates with Amy Winehouse. Billie's talents were apparent from a young age, leading her to leave Swindon for London at just 12 years old to attend the esteemed Sylvia Young Theatre School. The school, known for cultivating future stars, has produced numerous familiar faces, though not all students had an easy ride - including Billie's childhood friend, Amy Winehouse. In an intimate chat on Jessie Ware's Table Manners podcast, Billie reflected on Amy's childhood traits with fondness. She reminisced: "She was always cheeky. She was always like that, you know. She would do abstract stuff, and I really loved it." Billie painted a picture of a 'super clever, super bright' Amy who didn't always fit in due to her standout personality. The darker side of Amy's uniqueness surfaced as Billie recounted the bullying her friend faced during school years. "She got bullied quite a lot at school because she was doing her own thing, and she liked to push buttons, and do weird stuff. And I had a lot of space for that, but not many of the girls did. It wasn't the easiest ride." Teenage Fame Challenges. Propelled into the limelight at the mere age of 15, Billie experienced the dizzying heights of fame with her 1998 hit 'Because We Want To', securing her spot as the youngest artist to launch straight to number one on the UK Chart. What followed for Billie after her chart-topping success with songs like 'Honey to The Bee' and 'Girlfriend' were not just the dreams of a typical '90s teen but also a series of unique pressures that came with such early stardom. In a candid 2021 interview on Desert Island Discs, she talked about the weirdness of moving into her own flat just shy of her 16th birthday amid the sudden swirl of fame. Reflecting regretfully, Billie divulged to Lauren Laverne: "At the time, it felt really exciting and liberating and satisfied me with this quest to be a grown-up. It also felt extremely desperate and lonely sometimes." She continued, 'I was seeing and experiencing a lot of life at a very young age. Now, when I look back at it now that I have my own children, it seems unbelievably unsafe and plays in unhealthily to my parenting". Her rise to stardom wasn't without its dark moments as well. Billie fell victim to a chilling campaign of harassment early in her career. In 2001, Blackfriars Crown Court heard how a woman sent threatening letters filled with horrific abuse before verbally delivering these threats by phone to Billie's record company. The malicious communicator had branded the then-teen pop sensation a "whore" and issued grisly warnings of beheading, mutilation, immolation, whipping, and gunfire. The instigation for this campaign of terror? The woman believed Billie had shot her a "dirty look" while she was part of a TV show audience. Adding to the strains of fame, Billie's liaison with teen pop idol Ritchie Neville from Five ended in heartbreak. During their teen years, while both were rapidly gaining fame, they became the epitome of young love, until it came crashing down with Ritchie's infidelity. Ritchie expressed deep "regret" for his indiscretion with a Russian woman during a tour, an affair that made headlines after she sold her story to a British tabloid in 2000. In the BBC documentary 'Boybands Forever', he confessed: "It massively hurt somebody that I loved. I regret any pain I caused but equally I was 19 you know? I made a mistake. It ended a relationship." Billie Piper's whirlwind marriage. At the tender age of 18, Billie Piper tied the knot with her first husband, Chris Evans, in 2001, just five months following their initial meeting. With Chris being 16 years older, their marriage sparked quite the stir due to the significant age difference, yet Billie now recalls their shared time as a healing and joyous chapter. During a candid chat on 'David Tennant Does A Podcast With...', Billie opened up about her past with Evans: "I went and got completely hammered for three years with Chris Evans. So much fun - just living very hard. But with a lot of love and a big dose of curiosity and just, yeah - amazing time." She also addressed the public perception of that era, saying: "It's funny because everyone framed that period in my life as these sort of horribly debauched, irresponsible, me falling apart looking like s***, putting on weight. That was really important to me, that period of my life. I needed that. Me not looking perfect every day in a tabloid was the best way for me to heal." Billie Piper has candidly revealed that her polished public image often masked a much darker reality, confessing: "Every time there would be a picture of me looking completely groomed and manicured within an inch of my life, I can tell you I was completely unhappy and starving and dark on the inside. And I haven't brushed my hair since!". She reflected on her past relationship with a touch of nostalgia, saying: "We really had a really amazing time together. I imagine it's what your uni years feel like - sort of reckless, but you're learning a lot. It was an incredible time and, not to undermine our relationship because we also had a very loving relationship. It wasn't just 'oh, we're going out and getting f*****' - we had a very caring and loving relationship." (Image: PA Wire) (Image: Justin Ng / Avalon) (Image: GETTY) Despite the intense love they shared, Billie and Chris's marriage dissolved in 2004 amidst whispers of explosive arguments. However, the pair reportedly maintain a strong friendship even now. Moving on to new chapters, Billie began a romance with actor turned political commentator Laurence Fox in 2006, marrying him a year later. The couple welcomed two sons, Winston and Eugene, but eventually parted ways in 2016. Speaking to British Vogue, Billie didn't mince words about her split from Laurence, known for his contentious opinions, stating: "I've had to make some choices and a divorce speaks for itself. Or at least it should." She further mentioned how she focuses on maintaining stability for her children, adding: "I close everything down and keep a very strict routine with the kids so that there's consistency. "I keep them close. That's all I can do. I try to keep people from telling me stuff but it's really, really hard. I don't read it but everyone wants to talk about it. Sometimes I have to say to people, 'Please don't bring this to me, now or ever'." Following her split, Billie started dating Johnny Lloyd, the former lead singer of Tribes, and in 2019, they had a daughter named Tallulah. However, after an eight-year relationship, they parted ways in 2023, stating that their relationship had simply run its course. In a heartfelt conversation on Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcast in 2021, Billie opened up about the challenges of balancing her demanding career with motherhood. She confessed: "Striking a balance is unachievable and as soon as you let go and just accept that, there are useful changes... I cry at the end of every day and spend an hour in bed saying, 'I'll be better tomorrow, I swear. I'm going to read my parenting manual tonight and everything will be better tomorrow.'". Billie also penned an emotional open letter to Tallulah, published in Stylist, where she revealed that she had initially been consumed by fear at the thought of having a daughter. She was so worried about all the things she didn't want Tallulah to go through that she hadn't realised just how much joy her arrival would bring her. She penned: "You have restored – without knowing it – all my faith in strong female energy. I want to learn from you and revel in your beauty. You are not just female, you are other. And from listing all of my anxieties above (there are many and I promise to always work on myself), I'm at my most calm and able around you. You are powerful." An enviable net worth. Following her stint on Doctor Who in 2005, Billie secured leading spots in Secret Diary of a Call Girl and I Hate Suzie, which she co-developed with playwright Lucy Prebble, as well as a role in the Netflix series, Scoop. Her sparkling stage career is just as impressive - nabbing Best Theatre Actress for Great Britain in 2014 and receiving the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award, along with numerous other prizes for her leading role in Yerma in 2017. With such a remarkable career journey, she's cultivated quite the fortune. Reports from Celebrity Net Worth suggest the actress stands at a net worth of $12 million (around £9 million).
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Billie Piper's life - popstar fame, wild age gap marriage and huge net worth
New Doctor Who Billie Piper has had an eventful and dramatic life off screen - including teen pop success followed by death threats and two controversial marriages It's fair to say Billie Piper has had a very rocky road to achieving stardom as a critically acclaimed actress, and her love life hasn't been easy either. But she's also amassed an impressive net worth and has welcomed three children. The 42-year-old, who hails from Swindon, first became famous almost thirty years ago - as a mid-teens pop sensation. She then reinvented herself as an actor, playing companion Rose Tyler to Christopher Eccleston's Doctor in the 2005 reboot of Doctor Who. Surprising critics and viewers with her screen talent, she continues to do so today. And now, 20 years later, she has shocked us again. In this series finale, Ncuti Gatwa's current Dr Who was regenerated to reveal Billie as the new doc. It's a stunning return to the series that first made her acting name. But off screen, Billie has endured some tough times. Here, the Mirror looks back at her life so far, from her difficult teenage years, popstar fame, turbulent romances and impressive net worth... School friends with Amy Wineh Billie's gifts were evident at a young age, and at 12 years old she made the move from Swindon to London to attend the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School. Aimed at nurturing future talent, the institution has produced many household names, but not all pupils had an easy time of it - including Billie's childhood friend Amy Winehouse. During a recent episode of Jessie Ware's Table Manners podcast, Billie offered some insight into what Amy was really like as a young girl. Remembering her as 'super clever, super bright', Billie revealed: "She was always cheeky. She was always like that, you know. She would do abstract stuff, and I really loved it." Sadly, Amy's differences didn't always go down well with her fellow pupils, and Billie remembers the iconic singer being badly bullied. She continued: "She got bullied quite a lot at school because she was doing her own thing, and she liked to push buttons, and do weird stuff. And I had a lot of space for that, but not many of the girls did. It wasn't the easiest ride." Teenage fame struggles Billie skyrocketed to pop stardom at the age of just 15 with her infectiously catchy 1998 anthem 'Because We Want To'. She became the youngest artist to debut at number one in the UK Chart with the hit, and singles 'Honey to The Bee' and 'Girlfriend' followed. Although many '90s teens would have been green with envy, topping the singles chart at such a young age came with its challenges. During a 2021 episode of Desert Island Discs, she recalled how strange it felt moving to her own flat before her 16th birthday, all while dealing with the surrealness of overnight fame. Speaking of her regrets, Billie told Lauren Laverne: "At the time, it felt really exciting and liberating and satisfied me with this quest to be a grown-up. It also felt extremely desperate and lonely sometimes. "I was seeing and experiencing a lot of life at a very young age. Now, when I look back at it now that I have my own children, it seems unbelievably unsafe and plays in unhealthily to my parenting." Death threats Billie also endured a horrific campaign of harassment in her younger years as a star. In 2001, a woman penned abuse-laden messages which she then read down the phone to Billie's record company, Blackfriars Crown Court was told in 2001. She called the teenage chart-topper a "whore" and warned of decapitation, dismemberment, burning, flogging and shooting. The abuse reportedly began because the woman thought the performer had given her a "dirty look" during a recording of a TV show, which she attended as an audience member. Boyband heartache Billie met Five singer Ritchie Neville when they were teenagers, having just been thrust into the spotlight with their respective pop careers. They were love's young dream until Ritchie broke Billie's heart when he cheated. Ritchie said he was full of "regret" over his betrayal with a Russian beauty while on tour in the country - who subsequently sold her story to a British newspaper in 2000. Speaking on the BBC documentary Boybands Forever he said: "It massively hurt somebody that I loved. I regret any pain I caused but equally I was 19 you know? I made a mistake. It ended a relationship." Wild age gap marriage Billie married her first husband, Chris Evans, in 2001 when she was just 18 years old, a mere five months after their first date. Given that Chris was 16 years her senior, the age gap romance raised eyebrows at the time, but Billie looks back on their time together as a period of fun and healing. Opening up with her former Doctor Who co-star on David Tennant Does A Podcast With..., Billie reflected: "I went and got completely hammered for three years with Chris Evans. So much fun - just living very hard. But with a lot of love and a big dose of curiosity and just, yeah - amazing time. "It's funny because everyone framed that period in my life as these sort of horribly debauched, irresponsible, me falling apart looking like s***, putting on weight. That was really important to me, that period of my life. I needed that. Me not looking perfect every day in a tabloid was the best way for me to heal. "Every time there would be a picture of me looking completely groomed and manicured within an inch of my life, I can tell you I was completely unhappy and starving and dark on the inside. And I haven't brushed my hair since!" She added: "We really had a really amazing time together. I imagine it's what your uni years feel like - sort of reckless, but you're learning a lot. It was an incredible time and, not to undermine our relationship because we also had a very loving relationship. It wasn't just 'oh, we're going out and getting f*****' - we had a very caring and loving relationship." Their whirlwind marriage came to an end in 2004, amid rumours of 'screaming rows', but Billie and Chris are said to remain close friends to this day. Kids and splits In 2006, Billie entered into a relationship with Lewis actor turned right-wing activist Laurence Fox, with the couple tying the knot one year later. They went on to welcome two sons, Winston and Eugene before calling time on their marriage in 2016. In a recent interview with British Vogue the mother-of-two said of her controversial ex: "I've had to make some choices and a divorce speaks for itself. Or at least it should." Laurence is often in the spotlight for his much-criticised views. In the interview, she added: "I close everything down and keep a very strict routine with the kids so that there's consistency. "I keep them close. That's all I can do. I try to keep people from telling me stuff but it's really, really hard. I don't read it but everyone wants to talk about it. Sometimes I have to say to people, 'Please don't bring this to me, now or ever'." She went on to have a relationship with former Tribes frontman Johnny Lloyd, and they welcomed their daughter, Tallulah, who they welcomed in 2019. After eight years together, they split in 2023, citing that their 'relationship ran its course'. In a candid chat aired on Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcast in 2021, Billie spoke about the difficulties of juggling motherhood with a hectic career. Billie shared: "Striking a balance is unachievable and as soon as you let go and just accept that, there are useful changes... I cry at the end of every day and spend an hour in bed saying, 'I'll be better tomorrow, I swear. I'm going to read my parenting manual tonight and everything will be better tomorrow.'" In an open letter to Tallulah, published in Stylist, Billie reflected that she'd been so fearful of having a daughter, anguished by all she didn't want her to experience, that she didn't realise just how overjoyed she'd be by her arrival. She wrote: "You have restored – without knowing it – all my faith in strong female energy. I want to learn from you and revel in your beauty. You are not just female, you are other. And from listing all of my anxieties above (there are many and I promise to always work on myself), I'm at my most calm and able around you. You are powerful." Huge net worth After her time on Doctor Who in 2005, Billie picked up leading roles in Secret Diary of a Call Girl and I Hate Suzie, which she co-created alongside playwright Lucy Prebble, as well as starring in the Netflix drama, Scoop. Not to mention her glittering stage career - winning Best Theatre Actress for Great Britain in 2014 and being honoured with a Laurence Olivier Award among countless other accolades for her lead performance in Yerma in 2017. Following her impressive career, she has amassed an impressive net worth. The actress is estimated to have a net worth of $12 million (around £9 million), according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Danny Dyer's youngest daughter Sunnie, 18, admits her father's struggles with addiction were 'very hard' on her
's youngest daughter has spoken candidly about how witnessing her father's battles with addiction has influenced her life choices and career aspirations. Aspiring actress Sunnie, 18, who recently accompanied her father to the BAFTA TV Awards, has shared insights into her upbringing and future goals. Reflecting on her father's past, Sunnie said that observing his struggles with alcohol and drugs during her childhood was challenging. She told The Sun: 'Seeing my dad struggle at times was very, very hard,' emphasising that these experiences have made her more aware of her own limits regarding alcohol consumption. She added: 'Now if he was struggling we could have a chat, but when I was younger I couldn't have understood. 'I was very protected. I didn't understand at home but then I would go to primary school and people would talk about it and I wouldn't really have a clue. It's very sad.' Despite the difficulties, Sunnie describes her father as her 'best friend' and a significant influence on her career path. She has already studied performing arts at the Sylvia Young Theatre School - which boasts Dua Lipa, Amy Whinehouse and Billie Pier as part of its alumni - and aspires to one day win a BAFTA - something her famous dad picked up this year, for Best Male Performance in a Comedy for his role in 'Mr Bigstuff.' The rising star, who boasts 104,000 followers on Instagram and is under Grail Talent management, has been attending high-profile events in recent months as she looks set to follow her famous family's footsteps. In a bit to kickstart her career in the world of showbiz alongside her A-list father and reality star sister Danny who won Love Island in 2018, Sunnie has been attending many red carpets in recent months. To celebrate the release of Marching Powder, Sunnie joined her sister Danny and her footballer fiancé Jarrod Bowen at the film premiere in March. That same month, Sunnie slipped into a gorgeous strapless black gown as she posed arm in arm with her father and sister at The 2025 BRIT Awards. She also appeared at the special gala screening party for Danny's Rivals and most recently supported her dad at the BAFTAs. As well as her many red carpet appearances recently, Sunnie has dipped her toes into the world of influencing. The rising star often shares videos trying on Dress2Party's prom dresses on her Instagram. Last year, she was being eyed up by PrettyLittleThing as she hopes to utilise her social media following and pursue partnership deals. Not only that be she has already appeared alongside her dad in a music video for Kate Nash's 'Wasteman,' showcasing her early foray into acting. Her A-list father, 47, is renowned for his roles in EastEnders, The Business, Rivals and most recently Marching Powder. Sunnie admits that while she admires her father's work, she avoids watching his sex scenes, preferring to focus on his performances' in other aspects. The admission comes after she celebrated her 18th birthday with a boozy 80s themed party alongside her famous family in April. Sunni channeled Kelly LeBrock's character Lisa in Weird Science, sporting her iconic pink and black eighties ensemble. She captioned her post: '80s Partayyy Thank you everyone who came love you all smm ur the best' Danny threw his youngest a huge 80s-themed bash, featuring a three-tier ruffled pink cake with makeup and a vape decorated on top. The former soap star shares three children with his wife Joanne Mas, Love Island winner Dani, Sunnie and Arty, 11.
Daily Mail
04-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Our two sons died on the same night after taking a Class A drug young people love... here is why I want it legalised
One night in December 2014, two policemen knocked on the front door of Ray Lakeman and his wife Sarah. They had come to tell them that their only children, Jacques, 20, and Torin, 19, had both lost their lives in the same night, after an overdose of MDMA – they had taken enough for 30 people. Mr Lakeman, of Port Saint Mary, Isle of Man, told MailOnline: 'They said it was both of them. It's indescribable really. I can't really put it into words.' Careers, marriage, children: these are all the milestones his sons have missed, the 74-year-old retired school teacher said: 'It is very difficult when our friends, their kids, they're having children, they're getting married. They're all grandparents now and things like that. It's all gone. 'I was just talking to a woman today who's just became a grandparent for the first time and she's really excited. It didn't just take the boys' future away, it took ours away as well.' Their father has spent the more than ten years since their deaths campaigning for reform of drug laws – striving to replace bans and criminalisation, with a regulated, legal market. He said: 'Unfortunately, just talking about prohibition – it would be lovely if it worked but it hasn't. And I've come to believe that the only thing that we can do is regulate it so there's a supply of regulated drugs that will be relatively safe. It will never be completely safe.' His sons' deaths, he said, were 'unnecessary': 'They're like collateral in the war on drugs… If they were going to take it, they should have known exactly what it was they were taking.' Jacques and Torin were only 15 months apart in age: 'They were very, very close. They were more like twins. They literally did everything together.' From football to swimming, chess, sailing, dinghy racing around the island and competing in an annual Manx music, speech and dance competition, with both winning awards for public speaking – the boys did it all. Both were also keen musicians, doing workshops at the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School in London. Jacques in particular was 'exceptionally good', playing guitar in bands with older, more experienced musicians from around the age of 15. Mr Lakeman said: 'If there was anything that they took an interest in or we thought they would like, we encouraged them to have a go at it. It all seemed to be going very well.' In 2014, Jacques was working in a hotel in London and living with his grandmother while pursuing music there and Torin was in his second year of university in Aberystwyth, studying astrophysics. It was the first time in their lives the boys had ever really been apart. Mr Lakeman had bought his football-mad sons tickets to watch a Manchester United game at Old Trafford at the end of November. He said: 'It was the first time they'd ever been away, the first time they'd ever done anything like that together.' The boys met up as planned in Manchester on Saturday, November 29 – but they did not return home to London and Aberystwyth when expected the next day. At around 6.30pm on Sunday, Mr Lakeman said: 'I rang my mum up, as I usually did on a Sunday, to see how she was and have a chat with [Jacques]. And she said, "He hasn't got back".' Jacques and his grandmother usually went to a pub quiz on a Sunday evening – so it was unlike him to not be back. They phoned both boys but neither picked up. When it got to around midnight and neither son had returned home, he said: 'We knew something had happened.' They reported them missing immediately and spent Monday doing everything they could to investigate: 'We rang up the police in Manchester and they said, "They probably met a couple of girls", and this, that and the other. 'We said, "No, no, that's just not the way, that's not them".' The Metropolitan Police and officers in Aberystwyth were involved too – and Mr Lakeman even rang Manchester United itself: 'They said they had some information for us but they couldn't give it, couldn't tell us exactly what was happening because of data protection.' 'There was obviously a reason for it', he said, a delay while the police finished investigating. At around 8pm, officers knocked on the Lakemans' door: 'We knew. 'Well, all day, you know, you come up with, you try to think of implausible things, anything rather than face up to the fact that you know that something terrible has really happened.' 'We just hoped that they were true', he said – but by that stage, their sons had been missing for around 36 hours. He continued: 'My wife said, "Have you come to tell us something that we already know?" That was the first thing my wife said before [the officers] had even got in the room, practically. 'Then, they said it was both of them. It's indescribable really. I can't really put it into words.' The boys had been found in a room above a pub in Bolton, where they had been staying. All the parents were told at that point was that their sons had 'imbibed' something. Within ten days of their sons' first trip away from home together, the Lakemans had the boys cremated. And even before the tragedy in early December, that Christmas was due to be the family's first one apart, with Jacques due to work over the festive period. It ended up being their first one apart for a very different, horrifying reason. Then, the family received 'the news that we didn't expect' – their younger son Torin had been the one to buy the drugs. Mr Lakeman said: 'We knew from past experience that Jacques had dabbled and so we'd had a few conversations with him about drug-taking and the risks.' But as to Torin: 'It was totally out of the blue. He was in the Army Cadets and things like that.' Torin was aware his parents had had words with his brother about drugs: 'He'd always been very anti-drugs.' It later emerged that Torin had started taking ecstasy when he went to university – to cope with stress, his father thinks. He had bought the particular fatal batch in powder form on the dark web with a university friend. Mr Lakeman explained: 'I think they did it because they thought it was a better, more reliable source than what they could get on the street. And I think they thought they were just being clever.' But the true horror of the Lakeman brothers' overdose emerged at the inquest that April. Mr Lakeman said: 'Judging by the amount of it the autopsy said was in their bodies, they must have just split it in half and taken half of it each, not knowing that it was enough for 30 doses.' He said: 'The dealer, whoever it was they got it from on the dark web, he was just selling – he doesn't know what they're going to do with it. 'There's no directions. He assumes that you know what you're buying. It doesn't say enough for 30 doses on the packet – you just get what you've asked for.' Everyone at the inquest – the police, pathologist and coroner – referenced this idea of a standard 'recreational dose', the idea that ecstasy could be taken safely. He said: 'I immediately thought – these deaths were unnecessary. If they were going to take it, they should have known exactly what it was they were taking.' The father-of-two continued: 'I can't describe the last ten years, it's been awful, and I don't want other families to go through this. And the fact is that thousands of families do.' There were 5,053 drug-related deaths in England in 2023 – double the rate recorded in 2012, according to the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures. Mr Lakeman continued: 'It's still the same issue. These things, we know that they're dangerous, nobody's denying that they're dangerous, and if I thought the drug laws were working, I'd be all for them. I would ban [drugs] tomorrow.' The primary piece of UK legislation regulating controlled drugs is the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 – which makes it illegal to possess, supply or produce them. It was 'well-intentioned', Mr Lakeman said – but it does not stop people wanting to take drugs: 'My boys were very, very bright – Torin was studying astrophysics, for God's sake! And he wanted to take drugs. 'They did something for him, whether it made him feel easier, made him feel comfortable where he was, university, getting settled in – I don't know because I never had a chance to talk to him about it. 'And I think it's the same for loads of people. And unfortunately, just talking about prohibition – it would be lovely if it worked but it hasn't. 'And I've come to believe that the only thing that we can do is regulate it so there's a supply of regulated drugs that will be relatively safe. It will never be completely safe. But that is what I've been campaigning for.' He sees his boys as victims of the prohibitive approach: 'They're like collateral in the war on drugs.' So, 'as soon as they said these drugs could be taken safely' at the inquest, he said, 'I thought I wanted to do something about it'. Last year, for the tenth anniversary of the boys' death, Mr Lakeman created a memorial CD (pictured) for the boys - with the title Something Happened coming from the father's recollection of events leading up to the day they found out their sons had died Mr Lakeman joined the Anyone's Child campaign, run by the Transform Drug Policy Foundation – attending meetings, lobbying parliament and making media appearances. The initiative, for loved ones of those affected by drug use, campaigns for regulation and legal control of drugs – rather than banning and criminalisation. And given that Mr Lakeman's home, the Isle of Man, is a self-governing Crown dependency with its own Parliament, called the Tynwald, it has proven easier to bring about change there. He brought forward a petition of grievance – requesting change to drug legislation – on Tynwald Day 2022, an annual meeting of the Manx parliament, which sees each law with royal assent formally proclaimed. It stimulated debate on the island: 'More and more MHKs [Manx MPs] have come round to thinking that what we are doing is just not working.' And in November last year, the island's Department of Home Affairs published new principles to inform Manx drug policy, following an independent review of the harms of illegal drugs. Approved in Tynwald, they included the intention to 'take a harm reduction approach to drug use' and 'prioritise diversion and treatment over criminalising people for minor possession offences'. Mr Lakeman said: 'There's only so much we can do because we're bound by the UN Convention [On Narcotic Drugs, 1961] but we're moving in the right direction, we're starting to treat it as a health issue rather than a criminal issue.' The events leading up to December 1, 2014, when the Lakemans found out their sons had died, as described on the back of the memorial CD's sleeve He said: 'I'm trying to keep the pressure on and just not let it go and let it ride. 'They say they're going to do something, they've said what they're going to do, I'm just going to make sure that it's followed through.' The father told MailOnline: 'My wife and I are enormously proud of Jacques and Torin. 'They were just any other teenagers finding their way in an increasingly changing and stressful world who found some form of escape and temporary relief in recreational drugs. 'Everybody takes drugs in some form, whether it is caffeine, sugar, food, additives, nicotine or alcohol – we all daily and regularly take substances that make us feel better and happy. If we're already happy, we want to be happier. 'All these other substances are regulated, the dangers to health by overindulging highlighted. We don't just prohibit their use because we know it doesn't work – we educate them. 'My boys were not hardened criminals. Good people break bad laws. Any other legislation that has backfired as spectacularly as the Misuse of Drugs Act would have been scrapped years ago. 'Instead, successive governments continue to wage an unwinnable futile war on drugs with devastating consequences for communities and individual families, like ours.' Despite the devastation of losing their only children, the Lakemans have done their very best to carry on and honour their sons' memories. Jacques would have turned 21 the February after he died – so his parents threw him a party, a charity concert to honour the exceptional musician: 'He would have loved to have a party.' The parents have organised a fundraiser concert, with local musicians, every year since, on the anniversary of their sons' death, to raise money for Parkinson's Disease Society Isle of Man – important to the family as Mrs Lakeman's father was a sufferer. The concerts help them cope – the anniversary of the boys' death comes just before Christmas, Mr Lakeman said: 'They chose the wrong time to go!' Last year, for the tenth anniversary, all the musicians from over the years contributed around 70 tracks for a memorial CD for the boys. And while Mr Lakeman honoured Torin's 21st in 2016 by walking Hadrian's Wall – his younger son was a keen hiker – his wife will remember Torin's 30th, coming up this May. She will travel to Svalbard – 'a place Torin hoped to be sent to as part of a possible Master's degree'. There, she will leave a Warhammer figure, small models of soldiers, supernatural creatures and aliens that fans paint, then use in miniature tabletop wargames. Torin loved them, his father said: 'He had every intention of doing the whole lot of them… We knew that we could drop him off at one of these games workshops and leave him there and he'd go in there for hours.' She will travel to Svalbard – 'a place Torin hoped to be sent to as part of a possible Master's degree'. Pictured: Artwork by Torin So, at the cremation and a later memorial service, the parents gave everyone a Warhammer figure, telling them to take it on their next holiday and snap a picture for the Lakemans: 'They can go to places that the boys would have liked to go to.' The boys, via the models, have now been to more than a hundred countries – and are still travelling now. Mr Lakeman said: 'It's just to keep their memory alive. I don't want them to be a statistic because they were more, they deserve more, they didn't deserve what happened to them.' He said: 'Once upon a time, I thought I wouldn't be able to listen to certain types of music again, guitar music, because I always thought, "Well, how would Jacques be playing that?" and, "Jacques would have loved that". 'And then eventually, you can listen to it now and you think, "Oh, yeah, that's really good", music that he liked and the boys both liked.' Some of his favourite final memories of the boys together were the weekly rehearsals of the band Jacques and Torin were in together in the Lakemans' garage. Even when Torin went to university, Jacques fiercely defended his spot in the band as bass guitarist, refusing to replace him and waiting for his younger brother to return and play again. Their father said: 'Sometimes, they'd ask me to come down and sing, there were a couple of Neil Young songs that they liked doing – Rockin' In The Free World, I think, was one.' He continued: 'I went through a phase, I thought I'd never be able to do that – but I can even listen to those songs now.' He added: 'I thought I'd never watch a football match again because that was the last thing that they did. And eventually, you can inure yourself against things if you expect them.' The dealer who sold the drugs to the Lakeman boys was sentenced to 16 years behind bars in December 2017. Mr Lakeman was 'really, really pleased' about this: 'I think these are the people the law should be going after.' But he continued: 'He was just supplying what they wanted but if there had been a legal market, they would have been regulated, they would have got what they wanted and it would have been relatively safe and they'd have known exactly what it was.' The government's refusal to implement this frustrates him: 'Every time I go on television or I speak on the radio or something like that, they get the Home Office spokesman to say something and the Home Office spokesman always says, "This government has no intention of changing the law", and it's been the same for ten years.' He continued: 'There hasn't been much change. 'The only change there has been is that there's been more deaths, more gang-related violence, we've got county lines now that's happening, there's more different types of drugs available than there's ever been.' Leading drug charity: 'More needs to be done' Addiction Family Support is the leading UK charity supporting people affected and bereaved by a loved one's 'harmful use of alcohol, drugs and gambling' - 'people like Ray Lakeman', CEO Paul Rompani said. Mr Rompani told MailOnline: 'Drugs use affects millions of people in this country every day. 'The friends and family of people harmfully using suffer with fear, anxiety and hopelessness and bereavement from drug use brings its own unique challenges. 'The stigma of illegal drug use and addiction means many people suffer in isolation, for fear of being judged. 'More open and honest conversations amongst family, friends, and the wider community about the harmful us of drugs would go some way to addressing the stigma. 'Adopting a public health, rather than a criminal justice approach to drugs, is a step in the right direction and the associated harm reduction initiatives are welcomed, but more needs to be done.' After many years of not knowing what to do with his sons' ashes, the Lakemans found the right send-off for their sons last summer: 'We sent the boys' ashes up into space.' A company named Aura Flights sends them into space in a hot air balloon – then at 100,000 feet above Earth, the chute opens and the ashes are dispersed all over the globe. They travel the planet for several months before finally falling as rain or snow – a fitting tribute to two boys with such a zest for life and all it had to offer. Their father said: 'That was really, really good. That was special. It was just the right thing, it was just really the right thing to do.' A Home Office spokesperson said: 'Our thoughts remain with the entire Lakeman family, as well as the friends of Torin and Jacques Lakeman, who continue to endure the pain of losing them at such a young age. 'While we may not agree with Mr Lakeman that the legalisation of these dangerous drugs is the answer, we do absolutely agree with him that our priority must be to prevent harm to young people, and tackle the criminal gangs who put them at risk. 'We will continue working towards those goals in the coming months, alongside the police, the medical profession, experts and campaigners, including all those who have lost loved ones in these tragic circumstances.' Regarding Mr Lakeman's call to Greater Manchester Police after his sons went missing, a force spokesperson said: 'Our thoughts are with Mr Lakeman and his family following this tragedy. 'While we have no record of contact between him and GMP, we understand his concerns and would direct him to making a formal complaint to our Professional Standards Directorate if he felt it appropriate.'
