A WOMAN who is bringing a show about her partner’s experience with gambling addiction to Colchester says she was "terrified" to even tell her family due to stigma.
Hannah Walker will be bringing ‘Gamble’ to the Mercury Theatre tomorrow night at 8pm.
She says many people ask her what it is like to write about her partner’s experience of gambling addiction but said the more they both spoke about it to others the more it helped.
Hannah revealed the show is also set to “evolve again” in August when it is taken to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival when the crucial post-show talk with Dr Matt Gaskell, head of the NHS northern gambling service, is integrated into the show itself.
Hannah said the post-show discussion was crucial to ensure people know how to access support which is out there because when she found out her partner "had gambled loads of money" she had no idea what to do.
As shown in the show, Hannah googled “my partner has a gambling addiction”, finding the Gambling Addiction (GA) and NHS support online, but said she found even talking to her own family about it extremely difficult.
Hannah said: “I didn't tell anyone about it because I was so scared that they would judge him.
“I was terrified because there is such a stigma attached and like none of my family members were gamblers. I didn't want people to think that he wasn't wonderful.”
Hannah also said the show explores gambling’s expansion into modern technology.
She added: “You can be sitting on the toilet or in the bath like having a conversation with your partner, just thinking they're on the phone, not realising they are actually gambling.
“The problem is that it's just in the palm of your hand and you can't get away from that."
After the show there will be a talk and a coffee and cake morning the following day.
Hannah said: “My aim of the show was to destigmatise gambling addiction and I feel really happy when people open up and feel they can share their experiences."
Tickets can be purchased here, to find out more about Hannah Walker’s campaign visit here, and to find out where to get help for gambling addiction visit here.
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