A Letter to 2016

Well, 2016.

Your time is nearly out, and it's tempting to say good riddance. To Brexit, to Trump, to experiencing the less pleasant sides of working in TV, to trying to leg it up a down escalator with my confidence and self belief; but in amongst the international bleakness there was much to celebrate - you brought many of my friends into marriage, gave me unforgettable memories with my best friend at Eurovision, and took me over 4,000 miles away to work in Guadeloupe.

I don't really know what to make of you. Even the most special moments and proudest achievements were a difficult and often emotionally painful struggle to reach, and in the last few months I feel like you've tried to unravel a lot of them. Friends are harder to hold onto, and the energy for the achievements I crave is harder to come by. But if there's anything your predecessors have taught me it's that the tough times  - when we're most exposed to the unfairness and struggles of the world around us - that build us up and make us the people we really want to be. It's human to dwell on the negatives, but I can't ever forget that I have an amazing family, great friends and that I have been blessed with opportunities and privileges that so many people would love. I got to visit two new countries, step up the assisting career ladder and meet some amazing people - and that's what I will remember you for.

For every person that didn't think I could do something, someone else took a huge risk on me. For every time the one putting me down was me, someone else told me otherwise. You taught me, through the best people in my life, how to love, care and laugh.

I think in the end, you were lost, scared and misunderstood, just like most of us. I hope we can learn your toughest of lessons and come together to help 2017 blossom through the ashes.