Episode 98: Anne Fish

Anne Fish is a mum of two sons... and a pro gamer.

When her younger son Benjy won a Fortnite tournament aged 14, he also won thousands of dollars and it became clear it was a serious sport that he wanted to pursue. Anne made the decision to homeschool him fromt he age of 15, to make room for the late-night tournaments and the long hours of practice that Benjy had to put into gaming. She also got more involved in Fortnite herself. As a self-confessed workaholic she put hours of practice in, became a pro herself in 2019, and now makes a living from it.

It's a far cry from her situation when Benjy had just been born and her older son was just 7, when her husband died, and she'd lost their business and their home. At one point she was doing car boot sales to buy food for the following week.

Anne advises getting more involved in whatever your kids are interested in - whether that's playing piano, playing a conventional sport or in this case gaming. She's the living emboiment of that - and it's brought her great and unexpected personal success. She now owns the house they'd once rented, on an island in the River Thames, where we met to chat. And if you listen out, Benjy can occasionally be heard gaming in the next room, during our conversation!

Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones

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