Poet Benjamin Zephaniah: 'I hit my ex-girlfriend'

The writer and dub poet Benjamin Zephaniah has said he hit a former girlfriend.

He told BBC Radio 5 live’s Nihal Arthanayake that he treated some of his previous girlfriends in a "terrible" way.

Mr Zephaniah described how he later regretted his behaviour and apologised, and how his attitude towards women changed as he became politically active.

He has long campaigned on racism and social justice issues, and has talked in the past about how his father beat his mother.

His autobiography, The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah, is published in the UK this week.