Jess Denham: The Story She Was Never Allowed To Tell

What if the person who was meant to protect you was the one you needed protection from? This is a story of survival, resilience and reclaiming your voice after years of being silenced. Jess also speaks publicly for the first time about living with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), sharing what it's really like to live with a condition that is so often misunderstood.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains themes of childhood abuse and coercive control. If you or someone you know needs immediate assistance, call 000. For confidential 24/7 crisis support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit lifeline.org.au. Support is also available through Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or at beyondblue.org.au.

A special bonus series for How I Survived listeners!

We’re bringing you some of the best stories of survival from Marie Claire's podcast, You’re Gonna Want To Hear This.

From extraordinary stories of survival and resilience to raw, intimate conversations about style, substance and the moments that change us, these are the stories you’ll be thinking about long after you’ve finished listening.

If you love How I Survived, you’re gonna to want to hear this.

And if you like what you hear, head over to You’re Gonna Want To Hear This wherever you listen to or watch your podcasts. Find, follow, subscribe or hit the + on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, and you’ll get a brand-new episode in your feed every Thursday morning.

This week on You're Gonna Want To Hear This, Marie Claire Australia Editor Georgie McCourt speaks with world champion runner Jess Denham, who is telling her story publicly after years of being unable to do so.

Raised in isolation and controlled by her parents, Jess appeared to be a sporting prodigy. But behind closed doors, she was enduring unimaginable abuse. Today, both of her parents are in prison for those crimes.

In this deeply personal conversation, Jess also shares why she's fighting for stronger protections for survivors and helping change the way Australia responds to sexual violence.

This episode covers:

Growing up as a homeschooled child prodigy under total parental control
Living a hidden double life as a champion runner while surviving abuse
Isolation as a tool of abuse and why escape felt impossible
Finding the courage to report abuse to police
Living with dissociative identity disorder (DID) and dismantling the stigma around it
How trauma shapes the brain and body in survival mode
Rebuilding trust, identity and community after a lifetime of betrayal
Healing through art and creative expression
The fight against victim-blaming and sensationalized media reporting
Advocating for stronger protection of survivors' counseling records
A message of hope for survivors: "you're not your worst chapter"

Stay up to date with Marie Claire Australia on Instagram

🎧 Listen to You're Gonna Want to Hear This and follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

👀 Watch and subscribe to You're Gonna Want to Hear This on YouTube 📺 for full episodes and clips.

Credits:

Host Georgie McCourt

Edited by Helen Smith

Head of Vodcasting Rachel Fountain

With thanks to our amazing team at Marie Claire

You're Gonna Want to Hear This is a production of Marie Claire and Are Media.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(44)

Alexa Leary Was Told She’d Die - Now She’s a Gold Medallist

She was told she wouldn’t survive. Years later, she’s a Paralympic gold medallist. This is the extraordinary story of Alexa Leary. A special bonus series for How I Survived listeners! We’re bringing y...

30 Sep 43min

Danielle Bensky: I Was A Teenage Ballerina When I Met Jeffrey Epstein

At 17, Danielle Bensky was a ballerina in New York with dreams of making it in dance. She thought she had found a way to earn some extra money. Instead, she was drawn into Jeffrey Epstein’s traffickin...

23 Sep 41min

Robbed Of Her Childhood: Bek Condello On Escaping A Cult

What if leaving your faith meant losing everyone you'd ever loved? CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains themes of childhood abuse, physical punishment, sexual trauma and coercive control. If you or...

16 Sep 1h

Stephanie Browitt: “I Survived the Volcano. Half My Family Didn’t.”

Could you survive a volcanic eruption? It's a question Stephanie Browitt never thought she'd have to answer. And yet in 2019, a volcanic eruption on New Zealand’s White Island changed Stephanie's life...

9 Sep 42min

The Day I Learned My Stepdad Was A Child Killer - Sherele Moody

What does it mean to put a name and a story to every woman and child lost to violence? For more than a decade, journalist and activist Sherele Moody has been documenting the lives behind the statistic...

2 Sep 39min

Charlie Verco: He Paddled Towards The Shark To Save Her

When everyone else swam for shore, Charlie Verco paddled the other way: straight towards a great white shark. On a clear, busy Saturday morning at Coogee Beach in June 2026, the 25-year-old surf lifes...

19 Aug 34min

BONUS: You’re Gonna Want To Hear This — Stories of Survival

A special bonus series for How I Survived listeners! We’re bringing you some of the best stories of survival from Marie Claire's podcast, You’re Gonna Want To Hear This. From extraordinary stories of...

19 Aug 54s