InterviewBlog | In conversation with Allen Langham
In conversation with Allen Langham
Author: Andy PeckPost Date: 12.06.20
Allen Langham was a young promising professional rugby player when he became embroiled in a life of crime, addicted to drugs and violence. This led to the first of seven prison sentences at the age of 18, beginning a long cycle of crime and violence. His new autobiography, Taming of a Villain, tells the story of how Allen encountered God in his prison cell: how, in Allen’s words, ‘Jesus Christ took a damaged, hurting man and transformed him miraculously.’ Since 2013, Allen has worked as a fitness coach, personal trainer, youth worker, and assistant rugby team chaplain. He has preached to prisoners, set up the Pink Ladies fitness club, and run the Steps to Freedom course with young people abandoned by society.
Sl Your book starts with the details of your early life, tracing how you were set on the wrong path. Can you tell us about that? AL My mum’s death when I was just a teenager was a major trigger point – and it’s significant to me that we’re talking on this date, which would have been her birthday. As a young child, I’d always been a victim: I grew up without much money, was bullied at school and sexually abused. My dad left when I was eight months old, and things were hard at home because of Mum’s mental health issues. She did the best that she could, but her own life had dealt her a lot of hard blows.
