'Wobbly' comedian on why 'normal' people are the real 'freaks'

Society has got a very long way to go before it achieves equality, comedian and actress Francesca Martinez told delegates at Social Services Expo in Edinburgh.

Francesca, who has mild cerebral palsy but prefers to be called "wobbly", said: "I have found that people have defined me by what I can't do. But how does that work? For example, David Beckham may be a great footballer but he's probably pretty rubbish at Trivial Pursuit!”

Giving a closing session at the major event in Scotland’s social work calendar, she continued: "I really believe there are no normal people. If you think you are normal, you are a freak. Normal is just a cycle on the washing machine.

"But no matter what kind of body you have, the pressures to be normal are really hard to escape. You end up aspiring to be some kind of fictitional person."

Francesca said that when she was born the doctors told her parents that she was "physically and mentally retarded" and would never lead a normal life. But her parents never labelled her – she was just Francesca.

Despite being under a lot of pressure to go to a special school, Francesca went to a girls school in Maidstone where the other girls started bullying and ganging up on her.

"I just hated life and wished I was normal. But two things changed my life. I gained an acting part in Grange Hill, which I had for five years and this gave me back my love of life. I suddenly felt judged by what I could do – not what I couldn't.

"Then, when I was 19, I once told a man in a pub that I was mentally disabled. He said: 'All right, you might be "abnormal" but that's just a label the human race has given you. You are you.'"

Francesca said the media had to lead the way and had a real responsibility to reflect diversity. But instead, she contended, it tended to idolise celebrities and models such as Katie Price.

"It's real shame that the media promotes such a narrow set of ideals – that you have to be glamorous and beautiful. Diversity should be celebrated, not feared," she said.

"We have put a man on the moon but we are still so scared of each other. I believe it makes society stronger and we need to shift our preconceptions of it."

Francesca said it was important for individuals and organisations to start challenging the labels people were given.

"You shouldn't let anyone make you hate your own body. Life is so transitory that you should live it to the full. Everyone is different and that makes us the same. And don't let anyone say you are abnormal. Who wants to be normal anyway?"