Michael Heseltine is a retired politician who spent many years in the top inner circle of the Conservative Party. He is famous for often challenging his party leader, Margaret Thatcher. He is now 81 and continues to run his businesses and advise the government.
And he is dyslexic!
Heseltine was born and raised in Wales. He was very late in learning to read, and his spelling was atrocious. As a child, he was referred to as “unacademic.” He was educated in private schools and then at Oxford, where he graduated with a second class degree. His Oxford tutor at the time called his second class degree “a great and undeserved triumph”!
Heseltine was much more concerned with politics, running for office at the university and honing his skills. Despite being known as a charismatic politician, he initially struggled with public speaking. But he had an innate drive for success, and so spent hours practicing in front of the mirror, listening to taped speeches, and even taking voice-coaching lessons.
These skills would serve him well, as he would become one of the most influential politicians in the Conservative Party.
Two of Heseltine’s children are also dyslexic, as are several of his grandchildren.
—
Sarah Forrest is a Reading Specialist for the Easyread System, and online course specialising in helping children with reading difficulties, dyslexia, auditory processing issues and more. www.easyreadsystem.com
