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'I stopped talking - but then I found music'

Music writer Pete Paphides developed selective mutism as a child. But he found great solace in pop music, which guided him through troubled times

Pete Paphides' parents moved to the UK from Cyprus in the 1960s to run a fish and chip shop. He was a shy and introverted child, and from the age of four to seven he stopped speaking – which he later learned was called ‘selective mutism’.  But he found great solace in music, and his love of pop developed into something of an obsession. Pete is now a well-known music writer in the UK.

Presenter: Rajan Datar
Producer: Becky Vincent

Picture: Pete Paphides as a schoolboy
Credit: courtesy Pete Paphides

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18 minutes

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