Janey Godley’s life has been a series of drastic ups and downs, but no matter what kinds of obstacles life has thrown her way, she’s always found a way to laugh. That ability has served her well in more ways than she could’ve ever imagined. Now, she is sharing that gift of laughter with the rest of the world through her work as a stand-up comedian. The last couple of years have been huge for Janey’s career and she has become known to people all over the world. As her fan base continues to grow, more and more people are getting excited about what Janey is going to do next. Continue reading to learn 10 things you didn’t know about Janey Godley.
1. She Had A Difficult Childhood
Janey Godley definitely isn’t someone who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. In fact, her situation was actually the opposite. She was born into a poor family. Her father had a drinking problem and her mother also struggled with personal issues. In an article for The Guardian, Janey said, “I had nits, scabies, we were poor. I remember eating out of bins and being a teenager with dirty clothes. But I was bright and I loved reading, so I had the chance to escape. And I’m not ashamed of it, because it wasn’t my fault.” On top of all of the instability she dealt with, Janey was abused by an uncle for many years until she threatened him with a hot poker. Later in life, both Janey and her sister took their uncle to court for what he had done to them. Although this level of trauma would’ve been enough to stop lots of people in their tracks, Janey has turned a lot of her bad experiences into material for her comedy routines.
2. She’s Allergic To Shellfish
When it comes to seafood, shellfish are usually among the most popular items on the menu. However, if there’s anyone who won’t be partaking in any of the goodness that things like shrimp and lobster have to offer, it’s Janey Godley. We weren’t able to find any details on exactly how allergic Janey is. But, even though she can’t eat shellfish, she still enjoys seafood – especially fish and chips.
3. She’s Scared of Losing It All
Now that Janey has reached a certain level of success, some people probably think that can let her foot off the gas a little. However, that isn’t going to happen. While she is grateful for everything she’s accomplished so far, Janey still has lots of things she’d like to do. On top of that, she never wants to go back to where she started. According to Holyrood, Janey said, “I still see myself as working class, I still have that fear. I still lie in bed at night and think what if I’ve no money and I can’t pay the electricity and can’t feed Ashley and I can’t put socks on her feet and I can’t, what if it all goes? I still have that fear.” She continued, “I had to have my agent talk me into stopping taking jobs at £100 just to take £100, because I kept thinking I’m always going to be poor, I’m always going to think I’m always going to be poor. And that’s what poverty leaves you with. It leaves you with a food and financial insecurity for the rest of your life”.
4. She Isn’t Afraid To Get Political
There are plenty of people in the public eye who avoid topics like politics out of fear that they may ostracize some of their supporters. That isn’t how Janey Godley gets down, though. Over the course of her career, she has made her political stance very clear. Even though she isn’t from the United States, she has openly expressed her disdain for Donald Trump. In fact, he blocked her on Twitter before he even became president. In her home country of Scotland, Janey is a strong supporter of the Scottish National Party as well as Scottish independence. Additionally, Janey has also become an activist and she has no problem using her platform to stand up for the things she believes in.
5. She Still Experiences Stage Fright
Janey has done so many shows at this point in her career that most people think it’s something that comes easily to her. That said, many people will probably be surprised to find out that she still deals with nerves before each show. While talking to the BBC, Janey said, “When I go on stage there is a sense of fear. I go on stage and I make up the show right there and then, ’cause I like that element of fear, that it might just go wrong at any moment.” Despite that fear, though, Janey always hits the stage and puts on a good show. Although fear can sometimes be a debilitating feeling for performances, it actually seems to help motivate Janey to always give it her all.
6. She Has A YouTube Channel
Even though Janey is not in her 60s, she understands the importance of being active on social media. In addition to using platforms like Instagram and Twitter, Janey has also been active on YouTube. On her channel, she posts a variety of videos including comedy clips and more serious commentary. At the moment, her channel has more than 57,000 subscribers and her videos have gotten more than 26 million total views. Her presence on YouTube allows her to reach people who may not have seen her content on any other platform. There’s no doubt that her following on YouTube is only going to continue to grow in the coming years.
7. Godley Is Actually Her Middle Name
When people see the name Janey Godley, they probably assume that that was her given name. However, that isn’t exactly the case. Janey was born Janey Currie, but decided to use her middle name, Godley, when creating her stage name. When discussing her decision, Janey told The Scotsman, “I don’t want to be Janey Storrie any more, because your family let me down, and I don’t want to be Janey Currie [her maiden name] because my family let me down. I’m going to use my middle name and legally become Janey Godley. The only family who haven’t let me down are the Godleys because I don’t know them.” I think it’s safe to say that Janey made a great choice with her stage name.
8. She’s Gotten Death Threats
From the outside looking in, being a celebrity can seem fun and exciting. That’s not always how people in the spotlight would describe it, though. Being a public figure comes with lots of attention, and oftentimes that attention is unwanted. Unfortunately, Janey Godley knows this from first-hand experience. Over the years, she has received countless death threats. Many of them came from her public opposition to Donald Trump as both a businessman and a politician. As if death threats weren’t enough, Janey has also received rape threats, both of which she takes very seriously. No matter how many times people threaten her, however, Janey doesn’t let anyone stop her from doing what she loves.
9. She Used To Work At A Pub
Janey’s path to becoming a stand-up comedian hasn’t been an easy one. Not only did she have to endure lots of hard times during her childhood, but her adult life hasn’t been a walk in the park either. One of the jobs she held before her career really took off was working as a landlady at a pub in Scotland. As you can imagine, the job wasn’t easy due to having to constantly deal with drunk and pushy patrons. However, working at the pub actually ended up being a great way for her to practice her comedy skills. She told the BBC, “When you’re faced with a bunch of men who either want to pin you down and have sex with you or fight with you, either way they have to beat you … the only way to beat them was being clever with your mouth”.
10. She Was Diagnosed With Cancer
If there’s one thing we all know about life, it’s that it likes to throw curveballs when you least expect it. No one knows this better than Janey Godley. As if having to deal with a difficult upbringing and turbulent adulthood wasn’t enough, Janey has also had to deal with health issues. In the fall of 2021, Janey revealed that she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. After undergoing a hysterectomy, there was hope that all of the cancer had been removed. Sadly, that’s not what ended up happening. It has since been revealed that the cancer had spread beyond her ovaries and had escalated to stage three. Janey has been staying with a friend while she recovers from her surgery and she is hoping for the best. She has also received an outpouring of love and support from followers on social media who want nothing more than to see Janey get well as quickly as possible.
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