Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
News

I was a Big Issue vendor and now I'm a Gogglebox star

Sandra Martin believes she was able to turn her life around thanks to The Big Issue. She has since found fame on Gogglebox.

Only four years before Sandra Martin found fame on Gogglebox, she was selling The Big Issue. She lost her home after a stint in jail and struggled with alcohol abuse.

“One day, I saw someone with a copy of The Big Issue in the hostel,” she says. “I wanted an opportunity to get out there and do something positive instead of drinking, drinking, drinking.

“That was the start of my luck turning around. Suddenly lots of good things started happening. I think The Big Issue brought me good luck. Because of The Big Issue I was able to change my life around. It really feels like that.”

@sandragogglebox

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty

How many kids, Keir?

Ask the PM to tell us how many kids he'll get out of poverty
Image of two parents holding two small children, facing away from the camera

Recommended for you

View all
Big Issue's Changemakers of 2026: Nominate a group or person making the world a better place
Changemakers

Big Issue's Changemakers of 2026: Nominate a group or person making the world a better place

'I'd rather a haunted house than a dodgy landlord': What's it really like to live with ghosts?
Inside the living room of 30 East Drive, where a poltergeist is believed to live. Image: 30 East Drive
Halloween

'I'd rather a haunted house than a dodgy landlord': What's it really like to live with ghosts?

Dad of boy who died due to mould in flat says he's 'proud' of his son for saving lives
Rochdale toddler Awaab Ishak died due to damp and mould in his social housing flat
Awaab's Law

Dad of boy who died due to mould in flat says he's 'proud' of his son for saving lives

The Finns are getting ready to see off Putin – here's why it's so important
Finland

The Finns are getting ready to see off Putin – here's why it's so important