It was Constance's mother who told her she was ugly. Over and over again. And that was just one strand of a childhood blighted by physical and emotional abuse. But the young girl had a strength and resilience beyond her years. She put herself through university, financing her studies with several jobs - including one caring for the terminally ill in a hospice - and then fulfilled a lifelong ambition by joining a prestigious set of legal chambers. But Constance's troubles were not over . . .