I went through puberty at two years old
Patrick Burleigh was born with precocious puberty, which meant he was effectively a toddler trapped inside a teen's body.
On the male side of Patrick Burleigh's family is a rare hereditary condition known as precocious puberty. It has been passed down through the generations. It meant Patrick went through puberty when he was two, and by the time he was 12 he was passing as a 16-year-old and getting into serious trouble.
Ballet is huge in Cuba. Dancers are treated like celebrities. For much of Cuba's modern history, most citizens needed visas to leave the Communist country. Ballet dancers were among the select few who could easily get out to perform around the world. However, many of those dancers defected and never returned. Rolando Sarabia was one of them.
Presenter: Neal Razzell
Image: Patrick Burleigh aged 13
Credit: Patrick Burleigh
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- Wed 6 Mar 201912:06GMTBBC World Service
- Wed 6 Mar 201916:06GMTBBC World Service Australasia
- Wed 6 Mar 201918:06GMTBBC World Service except Australasia, East and Southern Africa, South Asia & West and Central Africa
- Wed 6 Mar 201921:06GMTBBC World Service South Asia
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- Thu 7 Mar 201904:06GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East, News Internet & West and Central Africa
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