A man with cerebral palsy has revealed how using a sex surrogate transformed his life after years of bullying. James appeared on ITV's This Morning alongside surrogate Saurora Grace, telling hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard about his journey.
Bullying led to isolation
James explained that he was bullied throughout school and beyond. 'I guess there's a weird thing where I sort of walk the line between disabled and able-bodied, and people don't really know how to handle that,' he said. The abuse escalated to the point where 'I just stopped leaving the house because I'd have people spit at me, throw apples at me.'
Feeling lost and in a dark place, James tried various solutions but nothing helped until a friend suggested a sex surrogate. 'It becomes one of those things where you go, once you've gone through it, you go, "I wish I'd done it sooner,"' he said. 'It can be extremely life-changing. It changed a lot for me.'
More than just physical
Saurora Grace described sex surrogacy as holistic and therapeutic. 'It's all about connection, intimacy, and literally seeing and hearing the person,' she said. 'A lot of us all want to be seen and heard as human beings.' She emphasised that her work helps clients understand that having a disability does not make them different from anyone else. 'He deserves to have a loving relationship and, you know, deserves to have sex and a juicy lifestyle.'
James said the experience gave him a new direction in life. 'It changed the trajectory of what I'm gonna do with my life. It's just been extremely powerful. It's taken me in directions that I just thought were never doors that would open to someone like me.' He is now training to become a surrogate himself, using his lived experience to help others. 'I've got this lived-in experience that nobody else has got, and I've been to those dark places, and I really, really want to help people out.'
Support available
This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV. For emotional support, the Samaritans can be reached 24/7 on 116 123, by email at jo@samaritans.org, or via their website.
