Kick-Ass!

I wasn't expecting to meet five times World Kickboxing Champion Lee Charles today... but I'm glad I did.

We were both at a conference about domestic abuse and Lee was one of the speakers. He's a local lad who watched martial arts movies in his youth and dreamed of becoming the next Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan - and he's followed in the steps of his heroes in more ways than one. Not only did he reach the top in his chosen sport but he's now making a career for himself as a film actor.

Since retiring from the competitive kickboxing world he's found himself in demand on the silver screen, initially performing stunts but increasingly for his thespian skills, of which he says, "I'm unlikely ever to be a romantic lead, I'm usually the bloke who ends up getting shot..."

He's appeared in a number of action movies and thrillers (including 'I Am Soldier', 'Montana', 'The Anomaly' and 'London Fields' - alongside Johnny Depp and Billy Bob Thornton - and this year he's worked on three more films, 'Golden Years', 'Transit 17' and 'Lucky Man') but what makes him unusual is that he's decided to speak out about the emotional and, eventually, physical attacks he was subjected to by a former girlfriend. We had quite a chat about the need for men as well as women to speak out about domestic abuse and the importance of breaking down the stigma which can stop people reporting it and getting the support they need. It's still a very, very hard thing for women to do but can also be difficult for men - who often fear looking weak and not living up to macho stereotypes.

As Lee said, "People find it hard to believe that someone they see as an Alpha Male, a roughty-toughty type, can have something like this happen to them but martial arts is about discipline and controlling aggression. Whatever I may look like on the outside, I'm different on the inside."

I think he's doing us all a service by speaking out against domestic abuse - no matter who perpetrates it or who it's perpetrated against. Respect!