If you could edit your past, what would you change?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

Repeated verbatim in The Guardian's long-running Saturday Q&A; two publisher-hosted examples establish recurrence.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Recorded Paapa Essiedu said elsewhere, not written here
I would really love to know my parents as an adult. I lost my dad when I was 14 and my mum when I was 20.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 18 November 2023 source ↗

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Dermot O'Leary British-Irish television presenter
I had my heart broken a lot in my teens, but I'm not sure I'd change it.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 6 September 2014 source ↗

Siri Hustvedt American novelist, essayist, poet
I would have articulated aloud the comments I too often suppressed out of deference to arrogant, condescending, sexist bores.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 19 August 2017 source ↗

Jason Isaacs English actor
I wouldn’t have spent so much time trying to be a professional skateboarder or snooker player.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 21 November 2020 source ↗

More from Paapa Essiedu

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Question Which moment embarrassed you most? Failure & regret
In order to raise money to pay for myself to go to the National Youth Theatre, I performed a medley of my drama school speeches and some songs for my entire school. Considering I can’t sing, this was terrible. I did U Remind Me by Usher and Hey There Delilah by the Plain White T’s. They paid £2 each – basically, to laugh at me.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 18 November 2023 source ↗

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