Tamara, Waitrose, Holloway Road, London

I’m Italian born and I was raised in the Alps. One of my parents is Sardinian and the other is Sicilian so that means I am a melting pot of craziness and passion! I will be 50 in a couple of weeks.

I’ve always been very independent and I started working at 17. My last job was in a coffee shop but the second wave of Covid caused everything to shut down and my life began to unravel before my eyes. I lost my flat as well as my job and my relationship of 22 years.

I was at rock bottom when I met Neil Smith. I used to see Neil at his pitch outside Waitrose and we started talking because he was listening to Guns N’ Roses – one of my favourite bands growing up. We connected straight away. One day I was crying, not knowing what to do with myself. I’d lost everything, my life had disintegrated and Neil comforted me. He called the Big Issue office, he booked an appointment and he came with me. 

At the beginning he bought me magazines and shared his pitch with me, always making sure I ate, he was such a gentleman and he was there to pick up the pieces. Every day we used to see each other at his pitch and moan about life.

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Neil died in June. I still can’t believe he’s gone. I’m missing him very much. I’ve been trying to help arrange his funeral but there are delays – he has no relatives here in England. I will put a sign at my pitch as soon as we know the date.

Neil’s dog Honey is the sweetest dog I have ever encountered in my life. I promised him if something would happen, I would take care of her. So now she is living with me and she is bringing such joy in my life. 

She is a bundle of love. She is so sweet and she likes cuddles at night when we watch TV and in the morning she comes to kiss you so gently, trying to wake me up. My life is definitely better thanks to her. Selling Big Issue was a new experience for me. I had to put myself out there and it’s been mostly a positive experience. I’m a very shy and very private person so I really had to go outside my comfort zone. 

Every day I learn something new. People are nice but obviously there are some people who disagree with you and criticise you.

I take everything with a pinch of salt, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I’m getting better at reading people. The weekends are the best for me.

I’ve lived in London for 25 years and, honestly, I love it. It’s not perfect but if you want opportunity then the offers are unbelievable. 

I feel blessed to have the opportunity to live here and even if my situation is not ideal I stay positive and take it a day at a time. It’s getting better already. Apart from Big Issue, I sometimes do the market at the weekend and I do cleaning and landscaping. I try to do whatever comes to me really. 

The good thing about selling Big Issue is that you chat with a lot of people and you get so much valuable information. I’m not claiming any benefit at the moment, it gives me too much anxiety. I feel more settled relying on myself.

I am a big fan of sci-fi and I am a Trekkie. I love astronomy, I love music from rock and roll to classical music and hot rods and motorbikes. One of my biggest passions is Manga and anime and I often fall asleep doing jigsaw puzzles on my phone.

Big Issue gave me a way to survive when I was at my lowest point in my life so I’m honoured to be in the magazine.

Interview: Liam Geraghty

Waitrose & Partners, Holloway Road, London, UK