Woman has kept every text for 12 years

A London artist has kept every text message she has received since 1999 - and is publishing them all in a book.

Tracey Moberly, 47, has collected almost 100,000 texts since accidentally deleting her first 12 years ago and vowing never to lose another.

Every time a text arrived, she saved the contents - even writing down texts on paper when her phone ran out of room to store them.

Now she is publishing them all in her book - Text Me Up! - charting the story of her life since the end of the last millennium, reports The Sun.

Ms Moberly, from Shoreditch, said: "Some people think I'm obsessive, but I love looking back at old messages.

"It's like keeping a diary. All my friends say they wish they had kept important texts or ones which meant a lot to them.

"I'm lucky, I can go back to reading those messages any time I want."

She has filled more than 30 journals with the messages - received on six different handsets.

They record the breakdown of her marriage, rebuilding her life and her friends' reactions to world events including 9/11 and the Haiti earthquake.

The collection also contains messages from celebrity pals including Howard Marks, Pete Doherty and artist Banksy.