The model and host of the podcast I’m Fine shared a conversation about chronic pain with fellow model and actor Abbey Lee Kershaw
What does it mean to be a face of fashion when your life is filtered through chronic pain? How can we hold space for pain, with all its sticky dimensions, within the industry? These questions were at the heart of Sunday’s live discussion between Jean Campbell, host of the podcast I’m Fine, and her fellow model and actress Abbey Lee Kershaw, which took place at the private member’s club The House of KOKO in Camden, London.
As discussed in the most recent episode of I’m Fine, both Campbell and Kershaw live with chronic pain which has, at times, impacted both their physical and psychological health and threatened to mire the growth of their careers.
“You’re trying to be the person you want to be, that you know you can be,” said Kershaw on Sunday of her journey with endometriosis, “but it’s so difficult when it is through the constant filter of pain.” Within the fast-paced world of fashion, when your body is on the front line, to succeed can mean masking, denying the pain to the ugly detriment of your health. “It’s a fine balance between going into the pain so it serves you,” said Kershaw, “and cutting it off so you can get through the day.”
One of the most pervasive aspects of living with chronic pain is the sense of loneliness and isolation. “When you disconnect from the pain,” said Campbell, “you also disconnect from the joy and those around you.” But the magic of the live discussion was the opening of the venue’s community, who count Dua Lipa and Daniel Craig among its members.
By sharing experiences of pain – by making yourself vulnerable – you open yourself up to deep human connection, beginning with yourself and then those around you, both Campbell and Kershaw said. As the honesty of the talk and following Q&A proved, many live with chronic pain, and often in silence – yet there is incredible collective strength to be gained in lifting the veil.
Jean Campbell’s podcast I’m Fine is available to download through all major streaming platforms as well as via the podcast’s website. For more information on The House of KOKO, a private members club situated backstage at London’s iconic KOKO, please click here.