Roxanne Hoyle, best known as LadBaby Mum, spoke to the Mirror about her life’s impact as a child with a learning disability.
Roxanne Hoyle, better known as LadBaby Mum, has shared that she has a determination to succeed after having felt “embarrassed” over a learning difficulty that led to teachers writing her off at school. Now a best-selling author, she wants to inspire others and raise awareness over dyslexia.
The content creator, 41, rose to fame with her husband Mark Hoyle, 38, known as LadBaby, on social media, before taking the charts by storm with five Christmas Number 1 singles. The couple, who have a nine-year-old and a seven-year-old, have also released several children’s books together.
Over the years, fans have been given insights into their lives, with both Roxanne and Mark having previously spoken about being dyslexic. The NHS suggests that up to 1 in every 10 people in the UK has some degree of dyslexia, described as a “learning difficulty” that primarily affects reading, writing and spelling. It adds that intelligence isn’t affected.
Ahead of releasing their latest book, Greg the Sausage Roll: Dinosaur Adventure, Roxanne recently spoke to the Mirror about her experience with dyslexia. She opened up about her time at school and life now as a neurodiverse parent.
She described herself as “lucky” for having supportive parents, but said it was “confusing” and “very challenging” in light of the impact she had as a child. She said that they were “very positive” and considered it “a gift”.
Roxanne recalled that they “didn’t kind of pay attention to what other people said.” They tried to challenge me, but they succeeded… I never felt like I was different. In some areas, all I was encouraged in was. Very early on. Like, my sister was very academic, but I was very creative, so my parents kind of both embraced us”.
She continued, “I recall it being very difficult at school, like never fully comprehend, never fully read, never fully supported, or even people not understanding how to support me.” […] Nobody was kind of educated about it. Nobody, in my opinion, was. I wasn’t even very aware of it until much later when I started working.
Roxanne said that growing up she learned through song, visuals and movements. She gave an example of her efforts, saying, “My dad wants to play the guitar in the solar systems to basically pass an exam.”
She said, “I knew how to get information into me once I had a way or I knew my type of dyslexia.” Roxanne, who said that understanding ways that you retain information is life-changing, added: “Once I knew song or movement can trigger my memory, then my exams… I mean, I just went through my GCSEs and received A*s and Cs, and my teachers have to say that because she can’t retain anything, she won’t pass.
Given that she has since achieved success, including as an author, she responded, “It’s very overwhelming because I think back when I was younger you’re told… and it’s their fault, but you’re told it’s this way and it has to be done a certain way.” I was told I would never be an author”. I mean, let’s be honest with you, I never imagined I’d become one. Because words on a page make me want to cry, I never had a dream of being one.
Roxanne, who’s released a number of books with Mark, went on to discuss how she works on the material. We don’t have to type in a room, she said. We draw and voice-record everything. She said: “You don’t have to do it the way that it’s set on paper and been set for years”.
She also praised Puffin as a producer for recording the subsequent audiobooks. She stated, “They print the entire book on yellow acetate for me so that I can read it more quickly and with support.”
Roxanne said that many children have found their books to be “really inspiring,” adding that “it’s quite something that inspires them because back when I was younger, I wouldn’t even say that I was dyslexic out loud because people looked at you differently, talked to you differently, or talked to you like you didn’t understand anything.” And that is completely false!”
When asked if the way those with dyslexia are perceived and treated has given her determination to thrive, she said: “Yeah, I feel like I am driven to achieve or to just… For people with neurodiverse brains, I want to promote things. I want to “place” the spark, the fire, and the joy in the air.” She added: “You have to have a fire with this because y’know otherwise what’s the point? You must continue to advance.
She urged others to “embrace” the condition like she has. She told us recently: “A lot of successful people are dyslexic and you can identify things in the world that aren’t necessarily there for a neurotypical brain”.
Roxanne said, “It can be a gift, but I think it’s very difficult when you’re living it.” Anyone who has gone through the neurodiverse experience would say it’s challenging. She said: “You just have to constantly educate people, challenge people, prove your worth, when realistically like why”?
She stated that using her platform, she makes every effort to raise awareness. She continued, “I try to inspire, to demonstrate that it’s okay to laugh, to joke, to be creative, through video, books, or to be creative, whatever it is.” I do my best”.
Roxanne admitted to having some issues with homework at times while talking about parenting. She said she enjoys being a part of her son’s education. She continued, “I’m not embarrassed of it any more. I’ll go ‘ I’m really sorry, mummy doesn’t know that one, maybe let’s work it out together’. And it turns out to be a lot of fun for us.
Addressing reading to her own kids and at events for young fans, she stressed the importance of showing that its “alright to go wrong”. She said, “If you go wrong, it’s gonna be okay because you’ll get it right eventually,” and I think it’s really important to show those errors so that younger children can see that nothing wrongs them.” And you can handle it.
In the interview earlier this month, Roxanne also spoke about navigating the summer holidays, saying that there’s “a lot of pressure” on parents nowadays to keep their kids entertained. She said, “It’s acceptable for them to be bored.” They may experience downtime and refrain from doing anything.
“Six weeks is a very long time, especially for neurodiverse parents who can’t always y’know cater to needs and routines”, she said, adding: “Don’t be so hard on yourself”. She continued, “Sometimes kids just really enjoy just simple things like a picnic tea,” giving some parenting advice for other parents.
She said that ‘brain breaks,’ which are videos on platforms like YouTube that “get kids moving,” are “one of the best things” to give her the chance to do housework. And she said that the videos are available with popular characters in.
And Roxanne provided advice for parents of children with dyslexia over reading. It included recommending that they consider coloured overlays. She said: “I have yellow acetate over my words and it just stops it … calms the page down and lets you focus.” She also promoted apps like Nessy and DoodleSpell.
She also shared her excitement of her upcoming book, Greg the Sausage Roll: Dinosaur Adventure – Greg the Sausage Roll, which is set to be published next month. It follows the titular character, Greg, in a prehistoric world and Roxanne described it as a “very special book” ahead of its release.
The 28th August 2025 publication of Mark and Roxanne Hoyle’s Greg the Sausage Roll (Penguin Random House Children’s UK, paperback, £7.99) is
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Source: Mirror
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