I was born seven years after my sister and the last of four children. My three older sisters were very protective of me and my parents simply adored me. I was happy and carefree. Although I did well at school, I did not have the drive to have a career like my sisters. I worked in a boutique for a number of years as I just loved clothes. Then, with the support of my family, I trained as a hairdresser. What after divorce? continued below

The next stage

When I became pregnant, my partner proposed. We got married with my family’s blessing and were blissfully happy with our extended family. We started having problems in our marriage when my youngest was seven. I was quite settled in my full-time job as a hairdresser when a new hairdresser joined the company. He was dishy and flirtatious. We all loved him.

After a while, he paid me more attention and I was so flattered; my colleagues were envious. Inevitably, we embarked on a passionate affair. When my husband found out, we had blazing rows. After finding solace in drink, he had an affair. As expected, my lover with the roving eyes soon found someone else but my husband found love. It was the end of my marriage.

Starting a new career

I was alone with the children who spent weekends with their father. I had to take stock of my life. My family convinced me that I had to rebuild my life with a new career as I have great transferable skills. I decided to train as a PA. I researched the job market thoroughly for the skills needed; then I looked at my weaknesses.

I needed to make sure that I would be getting the correct training that can convert these weaknesses to strengths and also train me on other skills. I enrolled on an Executive PA course and took all the IT packages to the Advanced level. The typing and IT were offered online which was ideal as I needed to be there for the children. I gained a distinction on all the exams and achieved a Diploma within six months. Together with my newfound confidence and determination, I was now fully prepared for the job market. I got my first PA role.

I have been with this company for ten years and have been promoted over the years. I am now the EA to the CEO. I took other part-time courses – minute taking, Executive PA etc to ensure I was ready for any promotions within the company.